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Playing for your country is one of the highest honours for any footballer.
While some players are happy enough with one cap, others have become veterans for their nation as they repeatedly prove their worth in the international arena.
Being able to play regularly for your country is no easy feat — particularly in an era where so much football is played at club level.
But some players have managed to put together a lengthy list of appearances as they etch their name into the history books.
MORE: Who has scored the most goals in international football?
Who has the most international caps ever?
Men's football
After featuring for Portugal against Bosnia on June 17, 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo now sits on 199 international caps for his country.
That saw him eclipse Bader Al-Mutawa's previous record for most international caps with 196.
Both players are still playing at the age of 38, but Al-Mutawa has fallen out of favour with the Kuwait national team and wasn't named in their past two squads, opening the door for Ronaldo to move clear.
Argentina's Lionel Messi is close to breaking into the Top 10 with his 175 appearances for the Argentina senior team to his name at present.
Top 10 most caps in men's international football
Table updated as of June 19, 2023
| Rank | Player | Country | Caps |
| 1. | Cristiano Ronaldo* | Portugal | 199 |
| 2. | Bader Al-Mutawa* | Kuwait | 196 |
| 3. | Soh Chin Ann | Malaysia | 195 |
| 4. | Ahmed Hassan | Egypt | 184 |
| 5. | Ahmed Mubarak* | Oman | 183 |
| 6. | Sergio Ramos | Spain | 180 |
| 7. | Andres Guardado* | Mexico | 179 |
| 8. | Mohamed Al-Deayea | Saudi Arabia | 178 |
| 9. | Claudio Suarez | Mexico | 177 |
| 10. | Gianluigi Buffon | Italy | 176 |
*Denotes player still active in international football
Women's football
When it comes to the record for most caps in football, men's international stars do not even come close to the greats of the women's game. In fact, Ronaldo's tally of 198 would be good enough to break into the Top 10 on the women's all-time list.
The outright record is held by Kristine Lilly, who won a quite remarkable 354 caps for the United States to become the leading appearance-maker in the international game. The USWNT dominates the list, with seven of the top 10 having turned out for USA.
Top 10 most caps in women's international football
Table updated as of June 19, 2023
| Rank | Player | Country | Caps |
| 1. | Kristine Lilly | USA | 354 |
| 2. | Christine Sinclair* | Canada | 323 |
| 3. | Carli Lloyd | USA | 316 |
| 4. | Christie Pearce | USA | 311 |
| 5. | Mia Hamm | USA | 276 |
| 6. | Julie Foudy | USA | 274 |
| 7. | Abby Wambach | USA | 255 |
| 8. | Joy Fawcett | USA | 241 |
| 9. | Formiga | Brazil | 234 |
| 10. | Caroline Seger* | Sweden | 232 |
*Denotes player still active in international football
