Cristiano Ronaldo makes history with sixth World Cup goals in Portugal win

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and became the first player to find the net in six different World Cups as Portugal routed Uzbekistan 5-0 in Houston, giving the Portuguese their first victory of the 2026 tournament. The 41-year-old struck in the sixth minute, then added another goal to complete his double and leave Portugal on top of its Group K campaign.

The night extended a scoring run Ronaldo had already built across five straight World Cups. He had previously scored in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022, and the two goals against Uzbekistan lifted him into a record no other player has reached. Lionel Messi also reached a sixth World Cup in 2026, but Ronaldo’s brace separated him again in the history books after years of comparisons between the two era-defining forwards.

Ronaldo’s response after the match was as direct as the record he had just set. Reuters reported that he answered his critics by saying, “I’m back, I’m back.” The line matched the tone of a player who entered the tournament under scrutiny over age and physical condition, then produced the kind of decisive display Portugal needed to settle its opening-stage pressure.

The reaction also traveled far beyond Portugal’s locker room. Carlos Pavón and Roque Santa Cruz highlighted Ronaldo’s performance in Spanish-language football coverage, underscoring how his name still commands attention across borders and generations. Their praise centered on the same basic fact driving the night’s reaction in Houston: Ronaldo did not simply add to a scoring total, he turned a World Cup match into another milestone in a career that has stretched from Germany in 2006 to the record-setting stage of 2026.