Progression of association football caps European record

This is a progressive list of men's association footballers who have held or co-held the European record for international caps since 1976. The progression up to 1976 is derivable from the world record progression because the world record holder was always European, except when Ángel Romano narrowly overtook Imre Schlosser in 1924–27. After 1976, many sources, including FIFA[1] and the Guinness Book of Records[2] reported subsequent European cap records as world records. Retrospective validation of various Asian players' caps has subsequently shown that they exceeded the contemporary European record; most sweepingly, in 2021 FIFA recognised that Soh Chin Ann won his 109th Malaysia cap in 1976 and his 195th and final cap in 1984, which in February 2022 was the world record.[3]

The only pre-1976 European records not listed in the world record progression are Schlosser's record-breaking 67th cap and Severino Minelli's record-equalling 68th cap.

Player Country Cap Date Venue Opponent Score Notes
: : : : : : :
Imre Schlosser  Hungary 67 1926-11-14 Budapest  Sweden 3–1 [4]
: : : : : : :
Severino Minelli   Switzerland 68 1939-05-14 Liège  Belgium 2–1 [5]
: : : : : : :
Bobby Moore  England 108 1973-11-14 London  Italy 0–1 [6]
Björn Nordqvist  Sweden 108 1978-05-21 Stockholm  Czechoslovakia 0–0 [7]
109 1978-06-03 Mar del Plata  Brazil 1–1 World Cup[7]
110 1978-06-07 Buenos Aires  Austria 0–1 World Cup[7]
111 1978-06-11 Buenos Aires  Spain 0–1 World Cup[7]
112 1978-06-28 Borås  Finland 2–1 Nordic Championship[7]
113 1978-08-16 Copenhagen  Denmark 1–2 Nordic Championship[7]
114 1978-09-01 Paris  France 2–2 European Champs qualifying[7]
115 1978-10-04 Stockholm  Czechoslovakia 1–3 European Champs qualifying[7]
Pat Jennings  Northern Ireland 115 1986-03-16 Belfast  Denmark 1–1 [8]
116 1986-04-23 Belfast  Morocco 2–1 [8]
117 1986-06-03 Guadalajara  Algeria 1–1 World Cup 1986 Group D[8]
118 1986-06-07 Guadalajara  Spain 1–2 World Cup 1986 Group D[8]
119 1986-06-12 Guadalajara  Brazil 0–3 World Cup 1986 Group D[8]
Peter Shilton  England 119 1990-06-11 Cagliari  Republic of Ireland 1–1 World Cup 1990 Group F[9]
120 1990-06-16 Cagliari  Netherlands 0–0 World Cup 1990 Group F[9]
121 1990-06-21 Cagliari  Egypt 1–0 World Cup 1990 Group F[9]
122 1990-06-26 Bologna  Belgium 1–0 World Cup 1990 Rnd 2[9]
123 1990-07-01 Naples  Cameroon 3–2 World Cup 1990 QF[9]
124 1990-07-04 Turin  West Germany 1–1[e 1] World Cup 1990 SF[9]
125 1990-07-07 Bari  Italy 1–2 World Cup 1990 3rd–4th[9]
Thomas Ravelli  Sweden 125 1995-06-01 Stockholm  Iceland 1–1 European Champs qualifying[10]
126 1995-06-08 Leeds  England 3–3 Umbro Cup[10]
127 1995-06-10 Nottingham  Japan 2–2 Umbro Cup[10]
128 1995-11-15 Stockholm  Turkey 2–2 European Champs qualifying[10]
129 1996-02-22 Hong Kong  Japan 1–1[e 2] Carlsberg Cup[10]
130 1996-02-28 Sydney  Australia 0–0 [10]
131 1996-08-14 Gothenburg  Denmark 0–1 [10]
132 1996-10-09 Stockholm  Austria 0–1 World Cup qualifying[10]
133 1996-11-10 Glasgow  Scotland 0–1 World Cup qualifying[10]
134 1997-02-11 Bangkok  Thailand 0–0 King's Cup[e 3][10]
135 1997-02-16 Bangkok  Thailand 3–1 King's Cup[e 3][10]
136 1997-03-12 Tel Aviv  Israel 1–0 [10]
137 1997-04-02 Paris  France 0–1 [10]
138 1997-04-30 Gothenburg  Scotland 2–1 World Cup qualifying[10]
139 1997-08-06 Malmö  Lithuania 1–0 World Cup qualifying[10]
140 1997-08-20 Minsk  Belarus 2–1 World Cup qualifying[10]
141 1997-09-06 Vienna  Austria 0–1 World Cup qualifying[10]
142 1997-09-10 Stockholm  Latvia 1–0 World Cup qualifying[10]
143 1997-10-11 Stockholm  Estonia 1–0 World Cup qualifying[10]
Lothar Matthäus  Germany 143 1999-11-14 Oslo  Norway 1–0 [11]
144 2000-02-23 Amsterdam  Netherlands 1–2 [11]
145 2000-03-29 Zagreb  Croatia 1–1 [11]
146 2000-04-26 Kaiserslautern   Switzerland 1–1 [11]
147 2000-06-07 Freiburg im Breisgau  Liechtenstein 8–2 [11]
148 2000-06-12 Liège  Romania 1–1 European Champs[11]
149 2000-06-17 Charleroi  England 0–1 European Champs[11]
150 2000-06-20 Rotterdam  Portugal 0–3 European Champs[11]
Martin Reim  Estonia 149 (150)[e 4] 2007-02-07 Domžale  Slovenia 0–1 [13]
150[e 4] 2007-08-22 Tallinn  Andorra 2–1 European Champs qualifying[13]
151[e 4] 2007-09-08 Zagreb  Croatia 0–2 European Champs qualifying[13]
152[e 4] 2007-09-12 Skopje  Macedonia 1–1 European Champs qualifying[13]
153[e 4] 2007-10-17 Tallinn  Montenegro 0–1 [13]
154[e 4] 2007-11-09 Jeddah  Saudi Arabia 0–2 [13]
155[e 4] 2007-11-17 Andorra la Vella  Andorra 2–0 European Champs qualifying[13]
156[e 4] 2009-06-06 Tallinn  Equatorial Guinea 3–0 [13]
Vitalijs Astafjevs  Latvia 155 (156)[e 5] 2009-09-05 Tel Aviv  Israel 1–0 World Cup qualifying[14]
156[e 5] 2009-10-14 Riga  Moldova 3–2 World Cup qualifying[14]
157[e 5] 2009-11-14 Tegucigalpa  Honduras 1–2 [14]
158[e 5] 2010-03-03 Luanda  Angola 1–1 [14]
159[e 5] 2010-06-05 Milton Keynes  Ghana 0–1 [14]
160[e 5] 2010-06-18 Kaunas  Lithuania 0–0 Baltic Cup[14]
161[e 5] 2010-06-19 Kaunas  Estonia 0–0 Baltic Cup[14]
162[e 5] 2010-09-03 Riga  Croatia 0–3 European Champs qualifying[14]
163[e 5] 2010-09-07 Valletta  Malta 2–0 European Champs qualifying[14]
164[e 5] 2010-10-08 Athens  Greece 0–1 European Champs qualifying[14]
165[e 5] 2010-10-10 Riga  Georgia 1–1 European Champs qualifying[14]
166[e 5] 2010-11-17 Kunming  China 0–1 [14]
Iker Casillas  Spain 166 2016-03-27 Cluj  Romania 0–0 [12][15]
167 2016-06-01 Salzburg  South Korea 6–1 [15]
Gianluigi Buffon  Italy 167 2016-11-15 Milan  Germany 0–0 [16]
168 2017-03-24 Palermo  Albania 2–0 World Cup 2018 qual UEFA grp G[16][17]
169 2017-06-11 Udine  Liechtenstein 5–0 World Cup 2018 qual UEFA grp G[16]
170 2017-09-02 Madrid  Spain 0–3 World Cup 2018 qual UEFA grp G[16]
171 2017-09-05 Reggio Emilia  Israel 1–0 World Cup 2018 qual UEFA grp G[16]
172 2017-10-06 Turin  North Macedonia 1–1 World Cup 2018 qual UEFA grp G[16]
173 2017-10-06 Shkodër  Albania 1–0 World Cup 2018 qual UEFA grp G[16]
174 2017-11-10 Stockholm  Sweden 0–1 World Cup 2018 qual UEFA rnd 2[16]
175 2017-11-13 Milan  Sweden 0–0 World Cup 2018 qual UEFA rnd 2[16]
176 2018-03-23 Manchester  Argentina 0–2 [16]
Sergio Ramos  Spain 176 2020-11-11 Amsterdam  Netherlands 1–1 [18]
177 2020-11-14 Basel   Switzerland 1–1 2020-21 UEFA Nations League[18]
178 2020-11-17 Seville  Germany 6–0 2020-21 UEFA Nations League[18]
179 2021-03-25 Granada  Greece 1–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B[18]
180 2021-03-31 Seville  Kosovo 3–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B[18]
Cristiano Ronaldo  Portugal 180 2021-09-01 Faro/Loulé  Republic of Ireland 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A[19]
181 2021-10-09 Faro/Loulé  Qatar 3–0 [19]
182 2021-10-12 Faro/Loulé  Luxembourg 5–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A[19]
183 2021-11-11 Dublin  Republic of Ireland 0–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A[19]
184 2021-11-14 Lisbon  Serbia 1–2 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group A[19]
185 2022-03-24 Porto  Turkey 3–1 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round[19]
186 2022-03-29 Porto  North Macedonia 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA second round[19]
187 2022-06-02 Seville  Spain 1–1 2022-23 UEFA Nations League[19]
188 2022-06-05 Lisbon   Switzerland 4–0 2022-23 UEFA Nations League[19]
189 2022-06-09 Lisbon  Czech Republic 2–0 2022-23 UEFA Nations League[19]
190 2022-09-24 Prague  Czech Republic 0–4 2022-23 UEFA Nations League[19]
191 2022-09-27 Braga  Spain 0–1 2022-23 UEFA Nations League[19]
192 2022-11-24 Doha  Ghana 3–2 2022 FIFA World Cup[19]
193 2022-11-28 Lusail  Uruguay 2–0 2022 FIFA World Cup[19]
194 2022-12-02 Al Rayyan  South Korea 2–1 2022 FIFA World Cup[19]
195 2022-12-06 Lusail   Switzerland 6–1 2022 FIFA World Cup[19]
196 2022-12-10 Doha  Morocco 1–0 2022 FIFA World Cup[19]
197 2023-03-23 Lisbon  Liechtenstein 4–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
198 2023-03-26 Luxembourg  Luxembourg 6–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
199 2023-06-17 Lisbon  Bosnia and Herzegovina 3–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
200 2023-06-20 Reykjavík  Iceland 0–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
201 2023-09-08 Trnava  Slovakia 0–1 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
202 2023-10-13 Porto  Slovakia 3–2 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
203 2023-10-16 Zenica  Bosnia and Herzegovina 0–5 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
204 2023-11-16 Vaduz  Liechtenstein 0–2 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
205 2023-11-19 Lisbon  Iceland 2–0 UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying[19]
206 2024-03-26 Ljubljana  Slovenia 2–0 [19]

Notes:

  1. ^ England lost 3–4 on penalties
  2. ^ Sweden won 5–4 on penalties
  3. ^ a b Though the team was billed as "Swedish League XI", the matches are counted as full internationals
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h UEFA's total recognised caps for Reim is one less than the Estonian FA's, which recognises a 2004 match against Belarus U-21.[12][13]
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l UEFA's total recognised caps for Astafjevs is one less than the Latvian FA's and one more than FIFA's. The Latvian FA recognises a 2005 King's Cup match against Oman under-23, while FIFA does not recognise the 2010 match against Angola owing to excessive substitutions.[12][14]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^
    • Vecsey, George (17 June 1990). "World Cup '90; No. 120 Gives Shilton Record". The New York Times. p. 87. Retrieved 15 February 2010. Shilton was honored in a brief ceremony before the game for breaking the world record, set by Pat Jennings of Northern Ireland. Jennings made his 119th and final appearance in the 1986 World Cup.
    • "Matthäus sets new caps record against Netherlands". FIFA. 22 February 2000. Archived from the original on October 3, 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2010. Matthäus was level with Sweden's Thomas Ravelli, both totalling 143 caps.
    • Gleeson, Mark (8 January 2001). "Egyptian striker breaks caps record". FIFA. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
  2. ^ McFarlan, Donald (1989). The Guinness Book of Records 1990 (36th ed.). London: Guinness. p. 248. ISBN 0-85112-341-4.
  3. ^
  4. ^ Imre Schlosser-Lakatos[dead link] RSSSF
  5. ^ Severino Minelli RSSSF
  6. ^ Bobby Moore RSSSF
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Bjorn Nordqvist RSSSF
  8. ^ a b c d e Patrick "Pat" Jennings RSSSF
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Peter Leslie Shilton RSSSF
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Thomas Ravelli RSSSF
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Lothar Matthäus RSSSF
  12. ^ a b c "Casillas equals European caps record". UEFA. 27 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i Martin Reim RSSSF
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Vitalijs Astafjevs RSSSF
  15. ^ a b Mamrud, Roberto (14 July 2016). "Iker Casillas Fernández - Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mamrud, Roberto (17 August 2017). "Gianluigi Buffon - Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  17. ^ "Buffon overtakes Casillas's European caps record - European Qualifiers - News". UEFA. 24 March 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  18. ^ a b c d e Mamrud, Roberto (12 November 2020). "Sergio Ramos García - Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa Mamrud, Roberto (1 September 2021). "Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro - Century of International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 1 September 2021.