HOUSTON — Cristiano Ronaldo made history on Tuesday by becoming the first player to score in six different World Cups, finding the net in Portugal’s game with Uzbekistan.
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo, 41, had gone 10 games without a goal in major tournaments — a run stretching back to November 2022 — after drawing a blank against Congo DR last Wednesday.
In Tuesday’s Group K game, Ronaldo opened the scoring early with a near-post finish in the sixth minute, before turning down the chance to add a second with a free kick — allowing Nuno Mendes to convert — and then later racing onto a through ball to make it 3-0 before halftime.
The goals mean the Portugal captain is the first player to score in six different World Cups: in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.
He is also now the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history (41 years, 138 days), behind Roger Milla in 1994 for Cameroon against Russia (42 years, 39 days).
Ronaldo and his teammates had faced heavy criticism after Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Congo DR, with coach Roberto Martínez being questioned for continuing to pick the star at centre-forward.
“He’s an example,” Martínez said on Monday, defending Ronaldo. “He’s been playing for his country for a long time. He wants to contribute, and he’s a role model for our team.”
Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi have become the only men in history to play in six World Cup tournaments this year.
However Ronaldo stands alone in scoring in each edition, after Messi failed to score a goal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Ronaldo now has 10 goals in World Cups, and Messi has 18, after a hat trick in Argentina’s opener against Algeria and two more goals against Austria made him the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.
This is likely to be Ronaldo’s final World Cup, after a glittering career which saw him win the European Championships with Portugal in 2016 and the Champions League five times, with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Information from ESPN’s Global Sports Research and Associated Press was used in this report.
