Ronaldo snaps goal drought, 1st to score at 6 WCs

June 23, 2026 No Comments

Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo ends goal drought, first to score at 6 World CupsplayLisbon goes wild as Ronaldo scores for Portugal vs. Uzbekistan (1:01)ESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsJun 23, 2026, 01:44 PM ET

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player to score a goal in six different World Cup tournaments.

Ronaldo, 41, had gone 10 games without a goal in major tournaments — including the European Championships — after drawing a blank against Congo DR, but struck in the sixth minute against Uzbekistan on Tuesday to open the scoring. He then raced onto a through ball in the 39th minute to make it 3-0 Portugal.

The goals mean he is the first player to score in six different World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026).

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is also the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history (41 years, 138 days), behind Roger Milla in 1994 for Cameroon against Russia (42 years, 39 days).

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty ImagesRonaldo’s goals come after he was criticised for failing to score in Portugal’s 1-1 draw against Congo in the team’s opening match.Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi became the only men in history to play in six World Cup tournaments this year.

While he shares the record for most tournaments with Messi, he stands alone in scoring a goal in each edition after Messi failed to score a goal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Ronaldo’s goals gave him 10 goals in the tournament. Messi has 18 after a hat trick in Argentina’s opener against Algeria and two more goals Monday against Austria that made him the all-time leading scorer in tournament history.

Tuesday’s game was the 230th of Ronaldo’s international career, which is the most in history.

This is likely to be the final World Cup for Ronaldo, who won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 and the Champions League five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Information from ESPN’s Global Sports Research and Associated Press was used in this report.