Champions League: Ronaldo equals ex-Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas record

Manchester United forward Cristiano Ronaldo has equalled the record for the all-time number of appearances made by a player in the Champions League during Tuesday evening’s game against Young Boys.

The appearance tally, which excludes Ronaldo’s four matches played in qualifying rounds, sees him go level with current record-holder and three-time tournament winner Iker Casillas, UEFA announced.

The former Real Madrid and Porto goalkeeper has retired since setting the bar at 177 during the Portuguese side’s 4-1 home defeat to Liverpool at the quarter-final stage of the 2018/19 competition.

Most Champions League appearances
177 Cristiano Ronaldo (2003–)
177 Iker Casillas (1999–2019)
151 Xavi Hernández (1998–2015)
149 Lionel Messi (2004–)
142 Raúl González (1995–2011)
141 Ryan Giggs (1993–2014)

“It is the latest notable achievement registered by our new signing in the competition that he has won five times, including during our last triumph back in 2008,” Manchester United said.

Ronaldo currently holds the records for the player with the most goals (135) and assists (42) in the tournament’s history, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Lionel Messi in both categories.

Seventeen of those goals came in the campaign in which he lifted the trophy for Real Madrid back in 2013/14, a figure that saw him named the competition’s top scorer for that season and it remains the most scored by any player in a single Champions League campaign.

The 36-year-old has also scored the most goals in the knockout stage of the competition (67), while he is the only player to net in all six group games in a season, and in five different finals.

The five-time winner, the most by any player, will be hoping to inspire the Reds to more success on the European stage this season, following his return to the club in the summer.