Cristiano Ronaldo did not just answer the noise. He turned Portugal’s World Cup afternoon in Houston into another entry in football history.
The 41-year-old scored twice on Tuesday as Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0, becoming the first player in men’s or women’s World Cup history to score in six different tournaments.
Portugal had arrived under pressure after a 1-1 draw with DR Congo in its group opener. Ronaldo had been held scoreless in that match, and the pressure is now on any team hoping that age has finally slowed him down.
He needed only six minutes against Uzbekistan. João Cancelo crossed from the right, Ronaldo met the ball with his right foot and made it 1-0 before sprinting toward Portugal’s bench to celebrate.
He struck again in the 39th minute, this time from a Bruno Fernandes pass, finishing inside the near post to put Portugal 3-0 ahead before halftime. The sports world is watching what happens next, because the result changes the picture for Portugal after its flat start to the tournament.
The goals made Ronaldo the second-oldest player to score at a World Cup, behind Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who scored at 42 in 1994. Tuesday’s match was also Ronaldo’s 230th international appearance, the most in history.
Ronaldo and Lionel Messi became the only men to play in six World Cups this year. Ronaldo’s scoring run began in 2006 and now stretches through 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.
Zlatan Ibrahimović, reacting to Ronaldo’s message, said: “I thought he never left.”
Ronaldo had a shorter explanation after the match: “It’s so people don’t forget.”
