Cristiano Ronaldo equals world record for most international caps | Football News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Cristiano Ronaldo may have been benched from Portugal‘s starting lineup for the second successive match at the FIFA World Cup but the star striker equalled the world record for most international caps of 196 when he made his appearance early in the second half in the quarter-final against Morocco on Saturday.
The 37-year-old Ronaldo replaced midfielder Rúben Neves in the 51st minute for his 196th international men’s appearance, equalling the record set by Kuwait international Bader Al-Mutawa.

Ronaldo, playing in his fifth and likely final World Cup, had also started on the bench and then came on as a substitute for the round-of-16 match against Switzerland.
Gonçalo Ramos, who scored a hat trick on Tuesday in Portugal’s 6-1 win over Switzerland on his first start for Portugal, was again selected ahead of Ronaldo.
He was left out of the lineup against the Swiss after coach Fernando Santos expressed frustration about his team captain’s attitude in the previous game.
Santos later said Ronaldo was “not happy” to be told he was being benched, but never threatened to leave the World Cup because of the decision.
(With Agency Inputs)