CRISTIANO RONALDO missed out on the chance to break a new record on the highest stage after Portugal were knocked out by Morocco.
If Portgual had gone through to the World Cup semi-final, Ronaldo would have broken the record for most international appearances.
GettyCristiano Ronaldo was devastated by his World Cup exit[/caption]
He is tied level with Kuwait star Bader Al-Mutawa on 196 caps.
But he did overtake former Malaysia player Soh Cin Ann who made 195 appearances for his country.
Ronaldo made five appearances in Qatar with his last two controversially coming from the bench after he was dropped.
He scored just once to take his international goal tally to 118 and extend the record he broke in September 2021.
The superstar was devastated by his World Cup exit and released a statement after crashing out to Morocco.
It read: “Winning a World Cup for Portugal was the biggest and most ambitious dream of my career.
“Fortunately, I won many titles of international dimension, including for Portugal, but putting the name of our country on the highest level in the world was my biggest dream.
“I fought for it. I fought hard for this dream. In the 5 appearances that I scored in World Cups over 16 years, always alongside great players and supported by millions of Portuguese people, I gave my all.
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“I left everything on the field. I never turned my face to the fight and I never gave up on that dream.
“Unfortunately, yesterday the dream ended. It is not worth reacting to heat.”
Despite his disappointment, Ronaldo is now set to go back to the drawing board, as he plots his next move.
In updating his fans, United’s former No7 cryptically wrote: “3 aspects of reality.
“Pain, uncertainty and constant work.”