"Merely a chapter in what Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in football" - Ronaldo on cusp of being first player to take part in 6 Euro campaigns
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has reminisced his achievements in the game as he stands on the brink of becoming the first player to appear in six different editions of the Euros. For context, no other player has appeared in more than four.
Having made his European Championship debut way back in 2004 at home, the 39-year-old has had a storied career, becoming one of the best ever to grace the beautiful game.
With nearly 900 goals for club and country and still going strong, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is looking to create more history at the upcoming European Championship in Germany.
Ahead of Portugal's Euro 2024 opener against the Czech Republic on June 18 in Leipzig, Ronaldo expressed his pride to be in an exclusive club in terms of appearances in most European Championships (as per The CR7 Timeline):
"I'm proud to be the first player to play in six EURO tournaments. I'm thrilled about it, as it shows the longevity of my career. However, it's merely a chapter in what Cristiano Ronaldo has achieved in football."
He added that the 'primary' goal is to help his team go all the way:
"I'm happy, and I feel privileged to be here to help the national team achieve its goaals and, of course, try to go on and win it, which is our primary goal."
Ronaldo and Co. play Ireland in their final friendly on Tuesday (June 11) ahead of their Euro 2024 campaign next week.
A look at Cristiano Ronaldo's Euro records
Cristiano Ronaldo holds a slew of records in the European Championships. For starters, he holds the record for most games in the finals (25), most wins (12), most games as captain (16) and a few others.
The Al-Nassr striker is the top scorer in both Euro qualifying (41) and finals (14). His combined tally of 55 goals is more than the next two players combined: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (19+6) and Robbie Keane (23+0).
Ronaldo is the first player to appear in five different editions of the competition and also to score in as many, with no other player scoring in more than three. He's the only player to score at least thrice in three different European Championships.