Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in his side’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match in Houston on Tuesday.
Published: June 24, 2026, 10:41 AM IST
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Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring against Uzbekistan in their FIFA World Cup 2026 match. (Photo: IANS)
Portugal vs Uzbekistan FIFA World Cup 2026: Cristiano Ronaldo finally ended a goal-drought in the World Cup with a sizzling display against Uzbekistan in their Group K match of FIFA World Cup 2026 at the NRG Stadium in Houston on Tuesday. Ronaldo struck twice for Portugal as they routed Uzbeks 5-0 after a disappointing draw against DR Congo in their opening match of the tournament.
After copping plenty of criticism for his lackluster display against DR Congo, Ronaldo beat Lionel Messi’s record to become the oldest-ever football player to score two or more goals in World Cup matches. While Messi had done it at the age of 38, Ronaldo has managed to achieve this feat at the age of 41.
“I’m back,” he said directly into the television camera. “I’m back.”
The Al Nassr striker has also become the first-ever football player to score in six different World Cup editions – a feat that even Lionel Messi will be unable to achieve in his career. Messi had failed to score a single goal for Argentina in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
“But it’s always like that. It doesn’t matter, because it’s been 23 years on the job and when things go well, ’Cristiano is good,’ when things go bad, ‘Cristiano is a retired player, is old.’ It will always be like that. But we responded well today, me and my teammates, which is what we wanted,” Ronaldo was quoted as saying by AP news agency.
Ronaldo also became the second-oldest player to score at a World Cup behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who was 42 when he scored at the 1994 tournament in the United States. His two goals against Uzbekistan gave him 10 career goals in the Wold Cup. Messi currently has 18 after a hat trick in Argentina’s opener against Algeria and two more goals against Austria on Monday, which made him the all-time leading goal-scorer in the tournament.
Here are some of the other records held by Cristiano Ronaldo in World Cup…
Most tournaments played (shared)
Before the 2026 FIFA World Cup, no player had appeared at more than five editions of the World Cup and no player had appeared in two World Cups 20 years apart. Luka Modric first played in 2006 (he missed 2010 edition), while Ronaldo shares the record for having played at six tournaments with Lionel Messi (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026).
Most tournaments named in a squad (shared)
Only three players have been to six tournaments, whether they’ve played or not. They are obviously Ronaldo and Messi and the other is legendary Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, who has gone to every tournament that the other two have been to, but hasn’t yet played at all of them.
Most goals scored in qualifiers
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored an amazing 41 goals in qualification for the World Cup, from 2006 to the present one in 2026 – more than anyone else.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez was full of praise about the professionalism and poise of Ronaldo amid calls from critics to drop him. “He’s a human being. He’s allowed to have emotions. He’s allowed to have feelings. What is impressive with him is the answer. Whatever he feels, the answer is to get back on the training ground and practice and work and demand from himself. That professionalism is what’s (led) to the longevity,” Portugal head coach Martinez said.
