Cristiano Ronaldo to make even more history against Hungary by becoming first player to appear in five Euros
WHEN Portugal face Hungary on Tuesday, Cristiano Ronaldo will keep doing what he does best – making history.
A host of European Championship records are already his, from most appearances at the finals to most goals in qualifying.
But he will become the first man to ever play in five separate tournaments when he starts the game in Budapest.
Iker Casillas is the only other player named in five Euros squads but he did not come off the bench in Spain's Euro 2000 campaign.
While a number of talents, including Lothar Matthaus, Gianluigi Buffon and Peter Schmeichel have all featured at four.
In his 22nd Euros match, 36-year-old Ronaldo will aim to break the record for goals scored at finals.
Michel Platini currently shares the honour with nine goals and the Frenchman scored ALL of his in one competition: 1984.
The Portuguese superstar's have been shared out across the years with no more than three strikes at any one tournament.
Victory over Hungary will mean he also steps above Cesc Fabregas as the player with the most Euros wins, currently tied on 11.
And he can outdo the likes of Wayne Rooney, Romelu Lukaku and Antoine Griezmann with his third brace if he bags a pair against Hungary.
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No player has ever scored three braces in the Euros and seven players are tied on two apiece.
Fortunately for Ronaldo, he does own the honour of the most tournaments scored in, with four, and the most tournaments with at least three goals, something he has pulled off twice.
Finally, there is the chance to beat Zlatan Ibrahimovic if he can score twice at Euro 2020.
The Swede is the only other player to have scored two goals at three separate Euros, a feat which many expect Ronaldo to manage for a fourth time this summer.
The Juventus forward lifted the trophy in France five years ago having fallen in the final on his first appearance, in 2004.
At Euro 2008 it was Germany who ended his hopes with a 3-2 scoreline in the quarter-finals and a group-stage defeat to the same side four years later set them on course for a semi-final meeting with Spain.
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A 0-0 draw took the tie to penalties and Ronaldo stunningly did not volunteer for a kick as the eventual champions claimed a 4-2 win.
It was speculated that he had wanted to bag the fifth penalty with the hope of scoring the winner, but Joao Moutinho and Bruno Alves' misses meant that prophecy failed to turn into reality.
Ronaldo famously went off injured in the final of Euro 2016 before cheering on his side from the touchline, lifting the trophy after Eder's magnificent strike beat hosts France.
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