Lionel Messi might be making the 2026 World Cup his playground but old rival Cristiano Ronaldo is certainly making history of his own.
While Ronaldo has so far not enjoyed the kind of tournament Messi has with Argentina, the 41-year-old continues to etch himself deeper into the record books.
Indeed, by scoring a brace for Portugal in its 5-0 win over Uzbekistan, the Al Nassr forward broke yet another record.
Those goals mean Ronaldo is the only player to score at six men’s World Cup finals, while his appearance for Portugal against Colombia also moved him closer to Messi in another achievement.
Ronaldo moves close to Messi’s World Cup appearance record
By playing for his country against Colombia, Ronaldo appeared in his 25 World Cup game.
He moved level with German legend Lothar Matthäus, who won the World Cup back in 1990.
Messi, who is also the top-scorer in tournament history, is still three ahead on 28. He is the only player ahead of his great rival, with the two dominating the soccer landscape for almost three decades now.
Still, while Ronaldo’s World Cup legacy pales in comparison to Messi’s after the Inter Miami forward lifted the ultimate prize in soccer back in 2022, that longevity is not to be overlooked.
Ronaldo has been a fixture of World Cup competition for 20 years now and, amazingly, there is even some suggestion that he could play in the 2030 tournament.
That will be joint-hosted by Portugal, who will no doubt have eyes on winning it. The last time they hosted a tournament was Euro 2024 and they reached the final before surprisingly losing to the unfancied Greece.
With Portugal through to the next round of the competition, there is every chance that Ronaldo continues to add to both his goal and appearance tallies during this year’s World Cup.
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