Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name deeper into football folklore on Monday, becoming the first player in history, male or female, to score at six different FIFA World Cup tournaments.
The 41-year-old Portugal captain fired home just five minutes into their group stage clash against Uzbekistan, netting his ninth World Cup goal and extending his own record for the most international goals ever to 144.
Ronaldo made his World Cup debut at the 2006 tournament in Germany and has since featured at every edition: 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and now 2026.
Lionel Messi has also appeared at six World Cups but failed to score in the 2010 edition, making Ronaldo the sole player to have found the net at every tournament he has participated in.
Ronaldo also became only the second 40-year-old man to score at a World Cup, after Cameroon legend Roger Milla, who achieved the feat at age 42 in 1994.
The age gap of 22 years and 183 days between Ronaldo and Uzbekistan’s teenage debutant Bekhruz Karimov was the largest ever recorded between two starting players in a World Cup match.
Portugal went on to win the match 5-0, with Ronaldo adding a second goal to complete a brace and help his side secure their first victory of the 2026 edition.
