Cristiano Ronaldo stared down the camera at full-time and delivered a simple message: “I’m back.” The 41-year-old had just scored twice for Portugal against Uzbekistan, becoming the first player to find the net at six different World Cups. It was a response that bore the hallmark of a career defined by defiance — a rebuttal to those who had written him off after a lacklustre performance in Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw with DR Congo, a match that sparked post-match criticism and rumours of fractured relationships with teammates.
“He is a human being. He is allowed to have feelings,” said his manager, Roberto Martinez, of that clenched-teeth declaration. Former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney, watching on, recognised the pattern. “This is what he does,” Rooney told BBC Sport. “He takes some criticism and this is how he responds.”
“Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, becomes first to score at six World Cups, while Messi, 39, tops all-time goals chart.”
Ronaldo’s double against Uzbekistan ended a drought of 11 World Cup matches without a goal, stretching back to the opening game of the 2022 tournament against Ghana. Aged 41 years and 138 days, he is now the second-oldest goalscorer in World Cup history, behind only Cameroon’s Roger Milla (42 years and 39 days). And he joins an elite club: alongside Lionel Messi and Denmark’s Michael Laudrup, he is one of three players to have been both the youngest and oldest goalscorer for his country at the World Cup — a span of 20 years and 11 days between his first and last goals.
But the spotlight does not shine on Ronaldo alone. On the same day he turned 39, Messi scored twice against Austria to take his World Cup tally to 18 goals, placing him top of the all-time charts. The Argentine had already notched a hat-trick in the opening match against Algeria, then added another double on Monday. His five goals in Argentina’s first two games piled pressure on Ronaldo, who shrugged off the comparison. “I couldn’t care less about others,” Ronaldo said in the mixed zone after his own record-breaking night.
Both players have shown remarkable longevity, defying age in a tournament that has also seen Kylian Mbappe emerge as a younger rival. Yet the old guard refuse to fade. Messi has scored 12 World Cup goals since turning 35, while Ronaldo, despite his recent struggles, proved against Uzbekistan that the old instincts remain. For how much longer, no one can say — but as they continue to rewrite the record books, the question of who will claim the Golden Boot remains tantalisingly open.