Cristiano Ronaldo becomes Portugal captain and becomes the first player to appear in 6 European Championships

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to feature in six European Championship Tournaments when he captained Portugal for their opening match against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.

THE 39 years oldRonaldowho made his tournament debut at Euro 2004, where Portugal reached the final, already holds the records for most goals (14) and appearances (25) in the tournament. He helped Portugal win the title at Euro 2016.

He prepared for this edition with two goals as Portugal beat Ireland 3-0 in their final warm-up games.

“Another chapter of our story begins today“, Ronaldo wrote on X. “I fondly remember my first day with the national team, a journey full of challenges and victories. Now I have the honour of being alongside a team of champions, full of talent and determination. With the strength and support of everyone, we turn dreams into reality. Together, let's fight for another triumph. United, we are unstoppable.”

Ronaldo was the equal top scorer Euro 2020 Ronaldo scored five goals, matching the total as Czech forward Patrik Schick, who also started on Tuesday. Ronaldo had previously scored against the Czech Republic in the 2008 and 2012 editions of the tournament.

In total, before Tuesday's match, the quintuple Winner of the Ballon d'Or He has scored 130 goals in 207 games for Portugal since making his debut as an 18-year-old under Brazilian coach Luiz Felipe Scolari in August 2003.

He made his 208th appearance for his country on Tuesday.

Ronaldo has just finished his club's season by setting a Saudi Pro League goalscoring record of 35 goals for the second time Al-NassrHe has had an action-packed season, scoring four hat-tricks and receiving a red card. He was also suspended for an obscene gesture in February towards Al-Shabab supporters who were chanting slogans against their long-time rivals. The name of Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in January 2023 after an acrimonious exit from Manchester United while away at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It was his second spell at the English club after successful spells at Juventus and Real Madridwith which he won the Champions League four times. He also won it in 2008 during his first spell at Manchester United.