Sergio Ramos: Spain captain equals Buffon's caps record
Sergio Ramos has equalled Gianluigi Buffon's European caps record after making his 176th Spain appearance against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Spain captain Sergio Ramos has equalled Italy great Gianluigi Buffon's European caps record after appearing in Wednesday's international friendly against the Netherlands.
Ramos claims 176th cap in Netherlands draw
Ramos won his 176th Spain cap after coming on as an 85th-minute substitute in Amsterdam as Luis Enrique's side played out a 1-1 draw with the Dutch.
The Real Madrid defender can now surpass Buffon, who retired from Italy duty in 2018, when Spain take on Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League in Basel on Saturday. The Spaniards then host Germany in the Nations League on Tuesday.
Spain skipper closing in on global caps record
Ramos has moved to within eight appearances of the worldwide record in men's international football, which is held by Egyptian Ahmed Hassan, who amassed 184 caps between 1995 and 2012.
Hassan is followed by Oman's Ahmed Mubarak (179), Saudi Arabian Mohamed Al-Deayea and Kuwait's Bader Al-Mutawa (both 178).
Ramos' 177th cap will see him go level with fifth-placed Mexican Claudio Suárez.
Ramos made Spain debut 15 years ago
Ramos made his Spain debut in March 2005, in a friendly against Chile in Salamanca. In his time with La Roja, he has won a World Cup and two European Championships.
The defender's intention is to play for the Spanish side through to the 2022 Qatar World Cup, when he is then expected to announce his international retirement. By then, it's feasible that he could have racked up over 200 Spain appearances.