From clapping to singing, Cristiano Ronaldo took some time out to celebrate with his Portugal teammates in what would be his record-breaking fifth World Cup.
The highest scorer in men’s international football has never won the game’s biggest award, but he will get another chance this year in Qatar.
“Years go by, but the goals are always the same,” Ronaldo wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.
Four other players have made it to five World Cups – Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from 1998–2014, Mexico defender Rafael Marquez from 2002–18, Germany midfielder Lothar Mathias from 1982–98 and Mexico goalkeeper Antonio from 1950–66. . Carbajal. Buffon was on the Italian team in 1998 but did not play in the tournament.
Others offered the opportunity to play alongside Ronaldo while in Qatar are Argentine great Lionel Messi, Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa and Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado, who has also gone to four World Cups. Spain defender Sergio Ramos has also featured in four World Cups, but has not been called by coach Luis Enrique until recently.
Ronaldo will play in his 10th consecutive major tournament, which began with the 2004 European Championship and includes four World Cups and four other European tournaments, a competition he helped Portugal win in 2016.
Ronaldo is the only player to have scored at least once in nine consecutive top tournaments, and will be able to extend his many international records in Qatar, including his 115-goal mark with the national team. He is also Portugal’s leading goalscorer in the World Cup with seven goals, two shy of Eusebio’s nine.
In 17 World Cup games, Ronaldo has six wins, six losses and five draws. He has two assists in those matches, and that’s how he helped his team win Tuesday, setting up an opening goal by Bruno Fernandes in the first half at the Estadio do Drago in Porto. Fernandes added one more after halftime.
Ronaldo said after the match, “Goal accomplished.” “We made it to the World Cup in Qatar. We are where we deserve to be.”
It would be the sixth consecutive World Cup for Portugal, whose best campaign was third in 1966 and fourth in Ronaldo’s first attempt in 2006. Portugal were knocked out in the Round of 16 in 2010 and 2018 and failed to advance from the group. stage in 2014.
Ronaldo’s Instagram post on Tuesday featured a photo of him and his longtime friend Pepe, the 39-year-old veteran defender, who will likely play in his final World Cup as well.
Ronaldo will be 41 by the time the 2026 World Cup arrives, and he said before Tuesday’s match that he was beginning to be bothered by repeated questions about how long he planned to continue playing.
Those questions will be over for now, as everyone knows there will be at least one more World Cup for Ronaldo.