Cristiano Ronaldo wants to reach 250 caps for Portugal. This revelation in the form of uncertainty was made by Roberto Martinez, coach of the national football team, during a conversation with former Swedish national football player Fredrik Ljungberg. “This happened when Ronaldo was very close to 200 caps, which no one had ever done before. We had a private conversation, but I can reveal one thing. I asked him if he was interested in playing 200 games for the national team.” He replied: “I’m interested in 250 matches.”
Martinez’s remarks come at a particularly active time in the career of Ronaldo, who at 38 is poised to become the world’s top scorer in the 2023 calendar year. CR7, who will soon turn 39 (February 5), has 205 caps for the national team, a world record, according to FIFA Records.
If Ronaldo’s wishes are confirmed, this means that the player intends to extend his career (and presence in the national team) for several more years. At least four, if we take into account the average annual number of games for the national team. In other words, CR7 plans to be present at the 2026 World Championships (he will be 41 years old then) and even beyond that date.
Roger Milha, a former Cameroon player, holds the record for the oldest player to score a World Cup goal on the list (see appendix), followed by two Portuguese players. Pepe and… Ronaldo. The oldest player to take part in the World Cup is the Egyptian Essam El-Hadary (the goalkeeper has already retired), who competed at the 2018 World Cup at the age of 45 years and 5 months.