Juventus and Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is closing in on yet another all-time UEFA Champions League record in his already illustrious career. On Tuesday, the legendary player took the field for the 175th time in the Champions League during the game against Atletico Madrid.
His 175th appearance in Champions League ensured that he moves past the tally of Italy and AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini who had 174 Champions League appearances against his name.
⚪️⚫️ New record for Cristiano Ronaldo! Only one player in history has made more UEFA club appearances👏
1⃣7⃣5⃣ @Cristiano
1⃣7⃣4⃣ Paolo Maldini
1⃣7⃣3⃣ Xavi Hernández#UCL— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) November 26, 2019
Notably, Ronaldo made his maiden appearance in the competition as many as 17 years ago, while he was still part of the Sporting Lisbon club and was aged 17.
So far, CR7 has made 101 appearances with Real Madrid, 52 with Manchester United and 14 with Juventus. His remaining eight outings are part of the qualifying campaigns and cup competitions.
All-time highest UEFA Champions League appearances: Top 5
Iker Casillas 188 (Real Madrid, Porto)
Cristiano Ronaldo 175 (Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus)
Paolo Maldini 174 (AC Milan)
Xavi Hernandez 173 (Barcelona)
Pepe Reina 171 (Barcelona, Villarreal, Liverpool, Napoli, Bayern Munich, AC Milan)
Madini is the record holder for most Champions League appearances with a single club, with Barca legend Xavi Hernandez right behind him with as many as 173 matches for the Spanish giants.
Meanwhile, after featuring in the Champions League game against Atletico Madrid, Ronaldo is expected to be part of the Juventus starting XI against Sassuolo in Serie A this weekend.