Cristiano Ronaldo made history on Tuesday by becoming the first player to score in six different World Cups, finding the net in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.
The 41-year-old opened the scoring in just the sixth minute, converting a cross from João Cancelo with a right-footed finish to the near post, before adding a second goal in the 39th minute after being played through by Bruno Fernandes.
The milestone silenced critics who had questioned whether the veteran superstar still had a place in Portugal’s starting lineup following his blank in the team’s opening draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The records don’t stop there, Ronaldo is now also the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history at 41 years and 138 days, behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who scored at 42 in 1994.
While Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi are the only two men in history to have played in six World Cup tournaments, Ronaldo stands alone in having scored in each one, after Messi failed to find the net at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
His scoring journey has spanned two decades, with goals in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and now 2026.
Tuesday’s game was also the 230th of Ronaldo’s international career the most in history. With his brace against Uzbekistan, he also became the oldest player in a World Cup to score twice in a single match.
This is expected to be Ronaldo’s final World Cup, capping a glittering career in which he won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 and the Champions League five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid.
