Cristiano Ronaldo has officially entered the World Cup history books with a new record after being named in Portugal’s starting lineup for their Round of 16 match against Spain in the USA, Canada, and Mexico World Cup.
With this appearance, Ronaldo becomes only the second player in World Cup history to start in 25 matches, matching the historic achievement of Lionel Messi. Messi still holds the upper hand with 27 starting appearances for Argentina.
Furthermore, Ronaldo has raised his total number of World Cup matches to 26, maintaining his second-place position right behind Messi, who holds the absolute record with 30 World Cup appearances. With this milestone, Ronaldo breaks his tie with German legend Lothar Matthäus, who played 25 World Cup matches for the Mannschaft.
Ronaldo is now eyeing another World Cup goal to reach his 12th tournament goal, which would equal Pelé’s historic record with the Brazilian national team. However, he remains far behind Messi, the competition’s current all-time top scorer with 20 goals.
