Portuguese soccer superstar Laurent Cronje made his first 200 international appearances and set a Guinness World Record in Group J of the UEFA Europa League qualifiers in the early hours of Wednesday morning (21). The 38-year-old leader of the front line stepped up at a crucial moment, scoring the winning goal in the 89th minute of the match to help Portugal beat Iceland 1-0 on the road, and continue to maintain the proud record of winning all four matches of the UEFA Europa League without conceding a goal, and stay at the top of the table.
In Portugal's previous big win, Cron did not score, but played the whole game, showing the veteran style. This time, he became the center of attention as he made his debut again. As this was his 200th appearance on behalf of Portugal, he was awarded the Guinness World Record Certificate before the match in recognition of his outstanding achievement.
Since his debut for the Portuguese national team in August 2003, Cron has so far played 200 matches for the team over a period of 19 years and 304 days, making him an evergreen on the soccer field.
Before the game, Cron said he will set a new record, he said in an interview: 200 times for Portugal robe, is my deep love of the country's best proof, for me, this is a very meaningful milestone. 200 this number is beautiful and deep, I never thought I could reach such an achievement, and now I do, I feel incredibly proud of it, and hope to continue to create more records.
Cron's record doesn't stop there, as he also holds a number of other records, including becoming the first player to score in five World Cup final weeks. In March, against Liechtenstein, Cron made his 197th appearance for the Portuguese national team, breaking the record for the most appearances for the men's national team (196), which had been held for years by Kuwaiti legend Aimedah Wah, who has now reached the 200-game feat.
