Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player in World Cup history to score in six editions of the tournament after the Portugal captain found the net against Uzbekistan.
Ronaldo, 41, came under fire following a drab performance against DR Congo in Portugal’s opening match but it took him less than six minutes to send his team ahead in the Group K encounter at the Houston Stadium.
Joao Cancelo set up the goal with a fine run down the right flank before squaring a low cross into the penalty area. Ever the poacher, Ronaldo hooked a first time shot towards goal from six yards out and slotted in just inside the near post to send his team ahead.
Ronaldo made his first appearance at a World Cup in 2006 aged 21 and scored one goal as Portugal reached the semi-finals. He also scored one goal in both the 2010 and 2014 tournaments, where Portugal rather under-performed, before netting four at the 2018 World Cup. Ronaldo then scored one goal at the 2022 World Cup as Portugal reached the quarter-finals.
While Ronaldo is yet to score a goal in the knockout stages of the World Cup, or appear in a World Cup final, he became just the second player to appear in six editions of the tournament, a day after rival Lionel Messi became the first. Messi scored his first ever World Cup hat-trick, and equalled Miroslav Klose’s all-time scoring record, in a 3-0 win over Algeria in Kansas City.
He then went on to score twice more in Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Austria yesterday. While Messi failed to score in his five games at the 2010 World Cup, as Argentina were knocked out by Germany in the quarter-finals, the 38-year-old now holds the record for World Cup goals (18) as well as appearances (28).
Ronaldo’s nine World Cup goals remains some way off Messi’s total, but he could feasibly pass Germany’s Lothar Matthaus for the second-most appearances of all time if Portugal reach the knockout stages of the 48-team tournament.
Praise was quick to follow Ronaldo’s record goal with former Manchester United teammate, Owen Hargreaves, saying: “Cristiano delivers, when he gets the service he delivers, everywhere he’s gone, he’s done that. It’s only nine minutes in, but the gameplan, it’s worked.
“There’s so much more urgency, you need people to run in behind, Cristiano has people closer to him. There’s so much firepower.”
Over on ITV, commentator and ex-England defender Lee Dixon said: “You can feel the tension has been released, hairs on the back of your neck. Everybody that loves football will be pleased he’s scored this. He’s pumped up now.
“When the ball has gone wide, at his age you don’t need to be flat out sprinting. He’s clever and nips in front. The timing of his run onto the cross is absolute perfection.”
