Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo cemented his legendary status by becoming the first player in football history to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Following intense scrutiny over his performance in Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw against DR Congo, the 41-year-old forward responded with a masterful two-goal display to lead Portugal to an emphatic 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan at Houston Stadium.
“Records are always nice, but my goal is always to help the national team achieve its objectives.”
Ronaldo stands completely alone as the only player to find the back of the net in six separate World Cup tournaments (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026). While Lionel Messi matched him by playing in a sixth tournament this month, Messi famously did not score in the 2010 edition.
His two goals bring his total World Cup tally to 10 career goals, officially overtaking the legendary Eusébio (9 goals) to become Portugal’s all-time top scorer at the global tournament.
At 41 years and 138 days old, Ronaldo is now the oldest non-goalkeeper to ever start a World Cup game and the second-oldest goalscorer in tournament history, trailing only Cameroon’s Roger Milla (42 years, 39 days)
