Cristiano Ronaldo breaks World Cup history
Image Credits: Imago Images
Cristiano Ronaldo has once again written his name in the history books thanks to his performance in North America.
Tonight, Portugal have faced off against Uzbekistan in the second round of the 2026 World Cup group stages as they look to fight their way to the top of the group for promotion to the knock-out stage.
After only six minutes, Ronaldo opened the scoring, giving Portugal a 1-0 lead.
However, in doing so, he has also become the first person in history to score at six World Cup tournaments.
Meeting a Joao Cancelo cross inside the box, the 40-year-old needed no second invitation, handing Roberto Martinez’s side the start they craved after a flat opening draw with DR Congo had left them on a single point.
Victory in Houston would all but seal Portugal’s place in the knockout rounds and pile the pressure on an Uzbekistan side still chasing their first points on their tournament debut.
For Cristiano Ronaldo, though, the night belongs to the record books.
Cristiano Ronaldo across his six World Cups
He has now found the net at the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups, six tournaments spanning two decades, a feat no player, male or female, has ever matched.
His World Cup story began in Germany in 2006, when he converted from the penalty spot against Iran.
Four years later in South Africa, he scored against North Korea, before adding another in Brazil in 2014 with a strike against Ghana.
His most prolific campaign came at Russia 2018, where he grabbed four goals, including an unforgettable hat-trick against Spain on one of the tournament’s defining nights.
In Qatar in 2022, he struck again from the spot, once more against Ghana and tonight’s goal takes his overall World Cup tally to nine.
More importantly, it leaves him standing alone as the only player ever to score across six separate editions of the competition, a record that, given the longevity it demands, may stand for many years to come.
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