HOUSTON (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo had a simple but strong message as the final whistle sounded after Portugal’s big win at the World Cup on Tuesday.
“I’m back,” he said directly into the television camera. “I’m back.”
Ronaldo became the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments by getting two goals in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan, quieting critics after his forgettable performance in the team's 1-1 draw with Congo in the opener.
Even though criticism isn't anything new to the 41-year-old superstar, he admitted that the intense negativity directed toward him this week was difficult.
“But it’s always like that,” he said in Portuguese. “It doesn’t matter, because it’s been 23 years on the job and when things go well, ’Cristiano is good,' when things go bad, ‘Cristiano is a retired player, is old.' It will always be like that. But we responded well today, me and my teammates, which is what we wanted.”
Ronaldo made history in the sixth minute when João Cancelo crossed the ball to him and he shot with his right foot to make it 1-0. He ran toward the bench and celebrated with his teammates.
He added another in the 39th minute when he got a pass from Bruno Fernandes and scored with his right foot just inside the near post to make it 3-0.
“As a defender you need to be ready and you need to be close to him in the box,” said Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro, a standout defender in his playing days who led Italy to the 2006 World Cup title. “If you give him one centimeter in the box you are dead.”
Ronaldo was named man of the match for his performance, the latest of many in his incredible career.
Portugal coach Roberto Martínez raved about the professionalism and poise Ronaldo showed this week amid calls from outsiders to bench him.
“He's a human being," Martínez said. “He's allowed to have emotions. He's allowed to have feelings. What is impressive with him is the answer. Whatever he feels, the answer is to get back on the training ground and practice and work and demand from himself. That professionalism is what's (led) to the longevity.”
The goals on Tuesday make him the second-oldest player to score at a World Cup behind Cameroon forward Roger Milla, who was 42 when he scored at the 1994 tournament in the United States.
Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi became the only men in history to play in six World Cup tournaments this year. Ronaldo’s scoring streak started in his debut in 2006 and he also netted goals in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
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 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Ronaldo’s two strikes against Uzbekistan gave him 10 career 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.
Ronaldo's latest performance extended his record by giving him 145 international goals, and his 10 career goals in the World Cup moved him past Eusébio's nine to make him Portugal's all-time scoring leader at the tournament.
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.
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup
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