Cristiano Ronaldo creates World Cup history Lionel Messi can never achieve

Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player ever to score at six separate World Cup finals.

The Portugal captain opened the scoring in their clash with Uzbekistan on Tuesday with a steered finish from close range.

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It marked the 41-year-old’s first goal of this summer’s tournament in North America.

After failing to find the net in his side’s opening draw with DR Congo, Ronaldo needed just six minutes to do so in Houston.

His strike also ended a ten-match goalless run at major tournaments.

Ronaldo added his second and Portugal’s third before half-time after Nuno Mendes had doubled their lead.

It takes his World Cup tally to 10 goals in 24 appearances at the tournament.

As a result, he is also Portugal’s all-time leading scorer at the World Cup after overtaking legendary forward Eusebio.

Prior to scoring against Uzbekistan, Ronaldo had not done so at a major finals since Portugal’s opener against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup.

He has now scored at six editions of the World Cup having scored in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is the first player in the tournament’s history to achieve the feat.

Ronaldo had previously become the first player to score at five World Cups.

However, that achievement was matched by Lionel Messi earlier in this year’s finals.

The Argentina forward scored a hat-trick against Algeria before adding two more goals against Austria on Monday.

In doing so, he became the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with 18 goals.

Messi cannot match Ronaldo’s record for scoring at six different World Cup finals, though.

The 38-year-old failed to get on the scoresheet for Argentina at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

He will turn 43 during the next finals in Morocco, Portugal and Spain in 2030.

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