Global News Desk:
Cristiano Ronaldo, the inaugural
footballer to notch 800 career wins, has been named in Portugal's squad for the
forthcoming friendly games against Sweden and Slovenia. Portugal's coach,
Roberto Martinez, unveiled a 30-player squad on Friday. They are scheduled to
play Sweden in Guimaraes on March 21, followed by a match against Slovenia in
Ljubljana five days later.
Promising players Jota Silva, who
plays for Vitoria Guimaraes, and Francisco Conceicao, who features for FC
Porto, were called up to the Portugal squad for the first time for the friendly
matches ahead of Euro 2024, to be held in Germany from June 14.
Ronaldo's call-up to the national
squad is just days after the 39-year-old reached another milestone in his
illustrious career. Ronaldo's Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr managed a 4-3 win
over Al-Ain in the AFC Champions League quarterfinal second leg on Tuesday, but
a 1-0 loss in the first leg for the Portuguese star's side meant the tie had to
be decided on penalties. Ronaldo converted from the spot but Al-Nassr lost the
match 3-1 on penalties and bowed out of the tournament.
However, a win in the second-leg
regulation time meant Ronaldo took home another record. According to the International Federation of
Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), the Portuguese striker is the first
player in the history of football to reach 800 career victories.
Ronaldo now has 125 victories
with the Portuguese national side and a total of 675 wins for the five clubs he
played for in a career spanning over 20 years -- Sporting, Manchester United,
Real Madrid, Juventus, and Al-Nassr. The majority of those wins,
unsurprisingly, came during his nine-year stint with the Spanish giants Real
Madrid.
Ronaldo also has 125 wins in the
most elite European competition, UEFA Champions League.
Boasting 713 career wins, Lionel
Messi is the closest on the list to Ronaldo. Ronaldo also reached another
milestone as he netted his 50th goal in 58 matches for Al Nassr. He reached the
landmark on Friday during their 1-0 win over Roberto Firmino's Al Ahli in the
Saudi Pro League. The 39-year-old is the leading goalscorer in the Saudi Pro
League this season with 22 goals.
Portugal squad:
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC
Porto), Jose Sa (Wolverhampton/ENG), Rui Patricio (AS Roma/ITA)
Defenders: Joao Cancelo (FC
Barcelona/ESP), Nelson Semedo (Wolverhampton/ENG), Joao Mario (FC Porto), Diogo
Dalot (Manchester United/ENG), Raphael Guerreiro (FC Bayern Munich/GER), Nuno
Mendes (PSG/FRA), Diogo Leite (Union Berlin/GER), Ruben Dias (Manchester
City/ENG), Pepe (FC Porto), Antonio Silva (Benfica), Gonçalo Inacio (Sporting
Lisbon), Toti Gomes (Wolverhampton/ENG), Danilo Pereira (PSG/FRA)
Midfielder: Joao Palhinha
(Fulham/ENG), Ruben Neves (Al-Hilal/KSA), Joao Neves (Benfica), Bruno Fernandes
(Manchester United/ENG), Otavio Monteiro (Al Nasr/KSA), Vitinha (PSG/FRA),
Matheus Nunes (Manchester City/ENG), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City/ENG)
Forwards: Francisco Conceiçao (FC
Porto), Jota Silva (Vitoria Guimaraes), Ricardo Trincao (Sporting Lisbon),
Bruma (Sporting Braga), Rafael Leao (AC Milan/ITA), Joao Felix (FC
Barcelona/ESP), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr/KSA), Gonçalo Ramos (PSG/FRA)