“It’s a number I thought I’d never reach” - Cristiano Ronaldo on Portugal milestone as mother turns emotional in stands

Cristiano Ronaldo made an emotional remark after his mother was seen in tears following her son's milestone of achieving 200 caps with the Portugal national team.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner achieved that feat when he appeared against Iceland in the Euro 2024 qualifiers in June 2023. Ronaldo, however, received a trophy to mark the same from UEFA when Portugal faced Slovakia on Friday (October 14) at the Estadio do Dragao.

Cristiano Ronaldo's mother was pictured with tears in her eyes as her superstar son received the accolade in front of his adoring fans. The Al-Nassr forward said the following in response to the same (via Sports Bible on Instagram):

“My mother, in particular, was emotional. It's a number I never thought I'd reach. It's these small steps that motivate me to be better.”

Cristiano Ronaldo marked his award-winning night with two goals as Portugal registered a narrow 3-2 victory over Slovakia. The victory meant that Roberto Martinez's side have now secured qualification for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.

Ronaldo has had an incredible international career with the Portugal national team. As things stand, the former Manchester United superstar has earned 202 caps for his national side and scored 125 goals. He is already international football's leading goalscorer.

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Cristiano Ronaldo will lead Portugal at Euro 2024 in hopes of winning his second European Championship

Cristiano Ronaldo has been in some incredible form for Portugal, which is a positive sign after their poor showing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The skipper will now lead his nation in a bid to win their second European Championship in Germany next year.

Ronaldo already captained Portugal to the Euro 2016 title in France by beating the hosts in the final. The star forward himself netted three goals in the tournament and was the joint second-highest goalscorer.

Cristiano Ronaldo's contributions as skipper and goalscorer helped Portugal qualify for Euro 2024. The former Real Madrid great has scored seven goals from six appearances in the qualifying campaign. This includes two goals against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg and, most recently, two strikes against Slovakia.

He also marked his 200th international appearance with a goal against Iceland in a 1-0 win.

Despite being 38, Ronaldo has shown no signs of slowing down. At the time of writing, he has already netted 11 goals and provided six assists for Al-Nassr.