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"This is far from over," Cristiano Ronaldo had warned following a deeply disappointing World Cup opener against DR Congo. As always, the relentless goalscorer proved his point, netting twice in Portugal's comfortable win over Uzbekistan.
Ronaldo's double not only served as a satisfying answer to the flood of criticism directed at him after a scoreless start to the tournament, but it also saw the 41-year-old become the first player, male or female, to find the net at six separate World Cup editions.
Lionel Messi had equaled Ronaldo's record of scoring at five different tournaments with his hat-trick against Algeria the previous week, but the Portuguese legend edged ahead once more with a clean strike of his right foot within the first six minutes of Tuesday's match against Uzbekistan.
Given the uncertainty surrounding Messi's participation at this year's World Cup, it seems highly improbable that Argentina's skipper will appear at the 2030 tournament, when he will be 43. Even if Messi somehow defied the aging process and his own career path to score four years from now, he would still need to keep playing until 2034 to surpass — rather than merely equal — Ronaldo's record.
Messi notably went without a goal at the 2010 World Cup, struggling under the turbulent (if legendary) management of fellow Argentine icon Diego Maradona. Ronaldo may lag behind his long-standing rival in total tournament goals by a considerable margin, but his achievement of consistently scoring at least once every four years is no small feat.
Players to Have Scored at the Most Men's World Cup Tournaments
Rank | Player | Tournaments |
|---|---|---|
1. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 6 (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026) |
2. | Lionel Messi | 5 (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026) |
T-3. | Uwe Seeler | 4 (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970) |
T-3. | Pelé | 4 (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970) |
T-3. | Miroslav Klose | 4 (2002, 2006, 2010, 2014) |
Ronaldo's brace also allowed him to surpass a record many would have assumed he had broken long ago. By scoring twice in the 5–0 demolition of Uzbekistan, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker pushed his World Cup goal tally to 10, moving past Portugal's previous all-time leading scorer in the competition, the iconic Eusébio.
Remarkably, Eusébio's nine World Cup goals all came in a single tournament back in 1966. The dynamic Benfica powerhouse scored three times in the group stage — including a brace that eliminated Pelé's back-to-back defending champions Brazil — before almost single-handedly guiding Portugal through the quarterfinals.
The Europeans found themselves 3–0 down to North Korea at Goodison Park within the first 25 minutes. Facing the kind of embarrassment that had already claimed Italy, Eusébio scored four consecutive goals in just 22 minutes. By contrast, Ronaldo needed 13 appearances across eight years to score his first three World Cup goals.
Portugal's All-Time World Cup Goalscorers
Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
1. | Cristiano Ronaldo | 10 |
2. | Eusébio | 9 |
3. | Pauleta | 4 |
T-4. | José Augusto | 3 |
T-4. | José Torres | 3 |
T-4. | Gonçalo Ramos | 3 |
Ronaldo Shows Selfless Side
While the spotlight will naturally fall on Ronaldo's continued scoring prowess, the most significant moment he produced was actually when he chose not to shoot.
Ten minutes after Ronaldo had put his country ahead, Odildzhon Khamrobekov was penalized for pulling Pedro Neto, conceding a free kick in an ideal position just outside the box. Ronaldo took up his trademark stance.
Set pieces have long been a source of frustration for Ronaldo at major tournaments. Across his previous World Cup and European Championship outings, the habitual free-kick taker has attempted 61 direct efforts — and converted just one. He took four alone in the round of 16 against Slovenia at Euro 2024, failing to test goalkeeper Jan Oblak with a single one.
Despite that woeful record, everyone expected Ronaldo to take aim once again against Uzbekistan. However, to the surprise of goalkeeper Abduvohid Nematov, Nuno Mendes was given the opportunity to strike, curling a low shot around the opposite side of the wall to double Portugal's lead.
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When the runaway leaders earned another free kick in a threatening position in the second half, Ronaldo ran over the ball and drifted undetected into space inside the penalty area to collect Bruno Fernandes's delicate chip. Only a sharp intervention from Nematov prevented the clever routine from resulting in a goal.
If Ronaldo can sustain that unselfish approach throughout the tournament while staying as clinical in the box as he was against Uzbekistan, Portugal may find themselves far less constrained by the weight of expectation on their record goalscorer.