Cristiano Ronaldo entered football history again this Tuesday (23). By scoring in the match between Portugal and Uzbekistan, the striker becomes the first player to score goals in six different editions of the World Cup. The match is being held in Houston, for the second round of the group stage.
CR7 received a cross from João Cancelo six minutes into the first half and hit the ball with his right leg into the back of the net. He celebrated effusively, in a match that had a different attitude from Portugal.
With the goal at 41 years and 138 days, he also becomes the second oldest player to score a goal in World Cups — the first is Roger Milla, at 42 years and 39 days. Previously, Cristiano occupied fourth place.
The Portuguese arrived at the match under pressure after a bad game against the Democratic Republic of Congo in their debut. He finished twice, but both times, in a match that can be considered apathetic from the entire team, considered one of the favorites in this World Cup.
The feat comes in his sixth participation in the World Cup, a mark achieved only by him, Lionel Messi and goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Before this edition, the Portuguese had already scored in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 World Cups. In Qatar, he became the first athlete to score in five different editions of the competition — a record equaled by Messi on Tuesday (16).
The milestone was reached after the Argentine starred in another historic chapter in the tournament. On Monday (22), Messi had another almanac match and scored two goals against Austria, becoming the highest scorer in the history of the tournament in isolation, with 18.
In his debut, the Argentine had already scored three goals in the 3-0 victory over Algeria.
Although Messi is also playing in his sixth World Cup, his goals are spread over five editions. The Argentine did not score in the 2010 World Cup.
Other scorers have also been standing out in the tournament, especially Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s career began in Germany in 2006, when he scored his first goal in a 2-0 victory over Iran. Four years later, in South Africa, he left his mark in Portugal’s 7-0 victory over North Korea. In 2014, in Brazil, he scored against Ghana.
In the Russian Cup, in 2018, he experienced his highest scoring edition. He scored three goals in the 3-3 draw with Spain, including a free-kick in the final minutes, and scored again in the victory over Morocco. In 2022, in Qatar, he scored one of the goals in Portugal’s 3-2 victory over Ghana, becoming the first player to score in five different World Cups.
At 41 years old, the Portuguese captain expands a list of records built over more than two decades with the national team. He is still far from the tournament’s overall top scorer, however, as he has nine goals so far. Cristiano Ronaldo has also never scored in the knockout stages of the tournament.
The Portuguese’s record extends between men and women. With five editions, he was tied with Brazilian Marta, the second highest scorer in the tournament’s history, with 17, and Canadian Christine Sinclair.
Cristiano Ronaldo goals in World Cups
- Germany (2006): 1 goal
- South Africa (2010): 1 goal
- Brazil (2014): 1 goals
- Russia (2018): 4 goals
- Qatar (2022): 1 gol
- United States, Mexico and Canada (2026): 1 goal
