“This is far from over,” Cristiano Ronaldo warned after a deeply frustrating World Cup opener against DR Congo. As ever, the insatiable scorer proved to be right, scoring twice in Portugal’s breezy victory over Uzbekistan.
Ronaldo’s brace not only served as a cathartic response to the waves of criticism washing his way in the aftermath of a goalless start to the competition, but it also saw the 41-year-old become the first player, man or woman, to score at six different editions of the World Cup.
Lionel Messi matched Ronaldo’s record of finding the net at five different tournaments with his hat-trick against Algeria last week, but the Portuguese icon nudged back in front thanks to a crisp sweep of his right boot inside the opening six minutes of Tuesday’s clash with Uzbekistan.
Given the debate which preceded Messi’s eventual involvement at this year’s World Cup, it would appear highly unlikely that Argentina’s captain will rock up at the tournament in 2030, when he will turn 43. Even if Messi did defy Father Time and his own career trajectory to score in four years’ time, he would have to keep playing until 2034 to surpass (rather than equal) Ronaldo’s record.
Messi notably failed to score at the 2010 World Cup, toiling under the chaotic (if iconic) watch of fellow Argentine legend Diego Maradona. Ronaldo may trail his long-term rival in total tournament goals (by quite some margin) but his feat of consistently showing up at least once every four years is nothing to sniff at.
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 saw him surpass a record which many would have assumed he had already broken long ago. By notching twice in the 5–0 rout of Uzbekistan, the former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward took his personal World Cup goal tally to 10, edging clear of Portugal’s previous top scorer in the competition, the legendary Eusébio.
Most remarkably, Eusébio’s haul of nine World Cup goals came in a single tournament in 1966. The rubbery Benfica force of nature scored three times in the group stage, including a brace which knocked Pelé’s two-time defending champions Brazil out of the tournament, before singlehandedly hauling Portugal through the quarterfinals.
The Europeans fell 3–0 down to North Korea at Goodison Park inside the opening 25 minutes. Fearing a humiliation which had already befallen Italy, Eusébio scored the game’s next four goals in the space of 22 minutes. For comparison, Ronaldo needed 13 appearances over 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 headlines will be dominated by Ronaldo’s enduring ability to score (see above) the most important decision he made was when not to shoot.
Ten minutes after Ronaldo had fired his nation in front, Odildzhon Khamrobekov was penalized for a tug on Pedro Neto, giving up a free kick in prime position right on the edge of the box. Ronaldo assumed his signature stance.
Set pieces have proven to be the bane of Ronaldo’s tournament existence. Across his previous World Cup and European Championship appearances, the regular free-kick taker has rattled off 61 direct attempts—and scored just once. He took four alone in the round of 16 clash with Slovenia at Euro 2024, failing to trouble goalkeeper Jan Oblak with any of them.
Despite that disastrous record, everyone assumed Ronaldo would again take aim against Uzbekistan. However, much to the surprise of Abduvohid Nematov, Nuno Mendes was allowed to strike the ball, whipping a low effort around the opposite side of the wall which the goalkeeper was expecting to double Portugal’s lead.
When the runaway leaders were given another free kick in a dangerous position in the second half, Ronaldo ran over the ball, drifting unnoticed into space in the penalty box to receive Bruno Fernandes’s dinked pass. It took swift intervention from Nematov to deny this clever routine a goal.
If Ronaldo can maintain that selfless streak throughout the tournament while remaining as sharp in the box as he was against Uzbekistan, Portugal may not be quite so burdened by the nation’s record goalscorer.
