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Ronaldo Makes History: First Player to Score at Six World Cups
Cristiano Ronaldo scored inside six minutes and again before half-time as Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0 in Houston, becoming the first player to score at six different World Cups. Here are the confirmed facts and where the record sits historically.
Cristiano Ronaldo has reached a milestone no footballer had touched before. With his goal inside the opening six minutes of Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan at NRG Stadium in Houston on Tuesday, June 23, the 41-year-old became the first player to score at six different World Cups — a scoring run that now stretches unbroken from Germany 2006 to this North American edition.
What happened
Portugal needed barely five minutes to settle into their Group K fixture. João Cancelo crossed from the right and Ronaldo met it with a first-time right-footed finish to open the scoring in the 6th minute — the goal that wrote his name into the record book. Nuno Mendes doubled the lead in the 17th minute, and Ronaldo struck again on 39 minutes, turning in a Bruno Fernandes through-ball to make it 3-0 at the interval. Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Nematov turned into his own net on the hour, and substitute Rafael Leão lashed home a loose clearance in the 87th minute to complete a 5-0 rout.
The record in context
Ronaldo first scored at a World Cup as a 21-year-old in 2006, and added goals in 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and now 2026. No man had previously scored in more than five separate tournaments — a mark Ronaldo himself shared with Lionel Messi until Tuesday. The trio of Uwe Seeler, Pelé and Miroslav Klose sit on four apiece.
| Player | World Cups with a goal | Span |
|---|---|---|
| Cristiano Ronaldo (POR) | 6 | 2006–2026 |
| Lionel Messi (ARG) | 5 | 2006–2026 |
| Uwe Seeler (GER) | 4 | 1958–1970 |
| Pelé (BRA) | 4 | 1958–1970 |
| Miroslav Klose (GER) | 4 | 2002–2014 |
The age angle is just as striking. At 41, Ronaldo is now the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history, behind only Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who was 42 when he scored at USA 1994. It is a different kind of longevity record from the all-time goals tally that Lionel Messi took over a day earlier — where Messi leads on total World Cup goals, Ronaldo now leads on the number of tournaments he has found the net in.
What it means for Portugal
Beyond the personal headline, the result is a statement. A five-goal win against a disciplined Uzbekistan side gives Portugal a commanding position in Group K and a major step toward the Round of 32, the expanded knockout phase that opens this 48-team tournament’s bracket. For how we rated Portugal’s ceiling before a ball was kicked, see our favourites tiers, and our Portugal vs Uzbekistan preview for how the matchup was framed beforehand.
Bottom line
Records that span two decades do not fall often. Ronaldo’s does not just fall — it keeps extending, one tournament at a time. On a warm night in Houston, the first man to score at six World Cups did it the way he has so often: early, decisively, and with the record book waiting.
Result, goal timings and the scoring record are per the FIFA match centre and multiple major outlets (Associated Press as carried by The Washington Post and ABC News, Fox Sports, Al Jazeera, TSN). This report contains only confirmed facts.