Ronaldo plays in record 6th Euros as Portugal wins dramatic opener

Cristiano Ronaldo added another record to his collection: He's the first man to appear in six different editions of the European Championship.

The 39-year-old broke a tie with former Real Madrid teammate Luka Modric when he started - and played the full 90 minutes - in Portugal's 2-1 win over Czechia on Tuesday in the team's Euro 2024 opener.

Portugal, after falling behind in the second half, scored twice, including a 92nd-minute winner from Francisco Conceicao, to open its tournament with a victory in Leipzig.

Ronaldo, who first played in the competition on home soil as a teenager in 2004, helped his country win its only continental title in 2016. He also holds the European Championship record for most goals, matches played, and tournaments with a goal.

There was uncertainty around his role with the national team after former manager Fernando Santos dropped him to the bench during the 2022 World Cup. But Ronaldo, who has since left Europe to join Saudi club Al-Nassr, has reclaimed his status as a central figure in the lineup under Roberto Martinez, scoring 10 goals in qualifying for this summer's event.

He played 90 minutes and found the net twice in Portugal's final pre-tournament friendly against Ireland, bringing his men's record tally to 130 goals in 207 international appearances.

After a record-breaking campaign in which he established a new Saudi Pro League mark with 35 goals in a single season, Martinez said the decorated veteran deserves his place in the loaded Portugal squad.

"Cristiano is in the team on merit, no one gets in by having a name," Martinez said during Monday's pre-match press conference, according to Tim Spiers of The Athletic. "He scored 51 goals in 50 games and he scored 10 in qualifying.

"For us he's a goalscorer, someone who can make that final move, stretch defenders, open spaces. He has changed his way of playing slightly, but he's in on merit and the numbers are there to back that up."

Ronaldo's compatriot Pepe - also part of the current Portuguese side - joins Modric on five European Championship appearances after earning the start Tuesday. At 41 years and 113 days old, Pepe is the oldest man to feature at a European Championship. The veteran defender took that record from Hungarian goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly, who was 40 when he last appeared, wearing his iconic sweatpants, at Euro 2016.

Spanish legend Iker Casillas also went to the Euros on five separate occasions but only played in three of those tournaments.