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Cristiano Ronaldo has extended his record as the most-capped men’s international player in Europe, reaching 234 appearances for Portugal.

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He moved it to that after his appearance during Portugal’s 1-0 win over Wales in their UEFA Nations League Group D opener.

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The 41-year-old Portuguese star became the first player to reach 200 international appearances when he featured against Iceland in June 2023, marking the occasion with an 89th-minute winner.

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Ronaldo had previously broken the European record by winning his 197th cap against Liechtenstein on March 23, 2023, scoring twice in the process.

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He took his tally to 199 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying on June 17, 2023, before reaching 200 three days later against Iceland.

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Ronaldo surpassed the previous European record of 180 appearances, held by Spain’s Sergio Ramos, in 2021. His appearance against Morocco in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals also saw him equal Bader Al-Mutawa’s then-world record of 196 caps for Kuwait.

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Ronaldo has since moved further clear of the European record.

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All these were detailed in an updated release on Friday on the Nations League website.

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Europe’s most-capped men’s international players

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234: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)*

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Ronaldo is also Europe’s leading international goalscorer. He passed the 100-goal mark in September 2020, equalled Ali Daei’s world record of 109 goals during Euro 2020 and surpassed it during the European Qualifiers on September 1, 2021.

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He scored his 144th, 145th and 146th international goals in summer 2026 as he became the first player to score at six World Cup final tournaments.

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202: Luka Modrić (Croatia)*

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Modrić surpassed long-time team-mate Darijo Srna to become Croatia’s most-capped player in March 2021.

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“When will you stop playing?” wife Vanja asked the inspiration behind Croatia’s run to the 2018 World Cup final.

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“I don’t know, my love,” came the reply. “You’ll have to be patient.”

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Modrić captained Croatia to back-to-back World Cup semi-finals when they reached the last four in 2022 and inspired them to the 2023 UEFA Nations League final.

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180: Sergio Ramos (Spain)

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Ramos surpassed Gianluigi Buffon’s previous European record of 176 caps while playing for Spain in their UEFA Nations League game in Switzerland on November 14, 2020.

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The youngest European man to reach 100 caps, at the age of 26 in March 2013, Ramos won two UEFA European Championship titles and one World Cup.

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He retired in February 2023 after not appearing for Spain since March 2021.

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176: Gianluigi Buffon (Italy)

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A 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, Buffon made his final appearance for the Azzurri in a March 2018 friendly against Argentina.

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That achievement came after he surpassed Dino Zoff’s national record of 112 caps in 2011.

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“When I made my Italy debut back in 1997, getting to this total was just a dream for me,” he said.

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168: Robert Lewandowski (Poland)*

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The 37-year-old striker reached 150 caps in Poland’s 2-1 victory over Türkiye in their final friendly before Euro 2024.

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He has appeared in four Euro final tournaments, scoring in all of them, including three goals at Euro 2020.

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Lewandowski also featured at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, when Poland reached the round of 16.

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167: Iker Casillas (Spain)

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Casillas, a former Real Madrid goalkeeper, summed up his experience of playing for Spain as “Responsibility. Pride. Satisfaction. Happiness. Commitment. Respect for those who preceded me. An infinity of words – and doing everything for the Spanish fans.”

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Like Ramos, he won two European Championship titles and a World Cup with Spain.

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166: Vitālijs Astafjevs (Latvia)

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“I love football and have always loved it,” said the journeyman midfielder after he played his farewell international, aged 39, in November 2010.

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Astafjevs’ personal pinnacle came when he represented Latvia at Euro 2004.

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“We worked a miracle, everyone was amazed,” he said. “That was true happiness.”

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159: Konstantin Vassiljev (Estonia)

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The former Flora midfielder, who also played in Slovenia, Russia and Poland during his career, retired in November 2024.

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He scored 14 league goals in the 2023 season, his highest tally since 2006, despite turning 39 during that campaign.

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158: Ivan Perišić (Croatia)*

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Still scoring goals and providing assists at the age of 37, Perišić has been a mainstay for Croatia since making his debut in 2011.

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He holds Croatia’s record for most goals and goal contributions at major tournaments.

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Perišić scored and assisted in Croatia’s 2018 World Cup semi-final victory over England and scored in the eventual final defeat by France.

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He also registered a goal and an assist during Croatia’s campaign at the 2026 World Cup.

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157: Jan Vertonghen (Belgium)

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The former Ajax and Tottenham centre-back returned to Belgium in 2022, signing for Anderlecht after two years with Benfica.

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He made his senior international debut in June 2007, playing the full 90 minutes of a Euro 2008 qualifier against Portugal.

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Vertonghen helped Belgium reach Euro 2024 on his 151st appearance before announcing his international retirement after the Red Devils lost to France in the round of 16.

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156: Martin Reim (Estonia)

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“There is no way I could go on playing until I die,” said midfielder Reim as he made his farewell appearance, aged 38, in 2009, ending a 17-year run with the national team.

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Apart from a brief spell with Finland’s KooTeePee, Reim spent his entire club career in Estonia.

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He also managed Estonia from 2016 to 2019.

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152: Granit Xhaka (Switzerland)*

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The midfielder played at his fourth World Cup in 2026, having also featured at three European Championships for Switzerland.

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“I’ve been lucky and privileged to play alongside some really big names, and for a team that have achieved a lot in recent years,” he said.

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“It’s not a given that you’ll make it to every finals competition.”

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151: Christian Eriksen (Denmark)

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Eriksen was first capped at the age of 18 in March 2010, two months after making his senior debut for Ajax.

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The attacking midfielder became an important player for Denmark before suffering a cardiac arrest during the team’s opening game at Euro 2020.

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He returned to international football in March 2022 and became Denmark’s most-capped player during Euro 2024.

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151: Edin Džeko (Bosnia and Herzegovina)*

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Džeko scored his first international goal on his debut in a 2007 victory against Türkiye.

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The striker helped Bosnia and Herzegovina qualify for their first major tournament, the 2014 World Cup.

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He has been the country’s captain for more than a decade and is its all-time leading scorer and most-capped international.

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Džeko also helped Bosnia and Herzegovina qualify for a second World Cup with a play-off final victory over Italy in 2026.

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150: Lothar Matthäus (West Germany/Germany)

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A European champion in 1980 and World Cup winner 10 years later, Matthäus played across two eras of German football.

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The box-to-box midfielder later moved into a sweeper role and earned praise from Diego Maradona, who said: “He is the best rival I’ve ever faced. I guess that’s all you need to know.”

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Players marked with an asterisk have yet to retire from international football.

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Data correct as of September 25, 2026.

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