Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo provides the perfect response to those that doubted him as he becomes the first player to score at six World Cups.

After scoring twice in his side's 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan, Cristiano Ronaldo stared into a television camera lens and screamed a defiant message for those who said he was Portugal's problem at the 2026 World Cup. The 41-year-old could not hide his feelings, nor contain his joy as he celebrated the historic feat of becoming the first player to find the net in six editions of football's biggest tournament. Ronaldo had been widely criticised after Portugal's laboured 1-1 draw with DR Congo in their opening Group K tie, while other global stars including Argentina's Lionel Messi, France forward Kylian Mbappe, Norway talisman Erling Haaland, Brazil's Vinicius Jr and England captain Harry Kane all impressed in the first two weeks. He only needed six minutes to open the scoring with his record strike, sweeping in a superb half-volley from Joao Cancelo's cross, and netted again before the break with a fine finish following Bruno Fernandes' perfectly-weighted through-ball. Only a goalline clearance from Abdukodir Khusanov denied Ronaldo a first-half hat-trick and, despite the efforts of his team-mates in the second half, their captain could not get the hat-trick he craved. Ronaldo has scored at 11 different major tournaments - five more than any other European player in history, with Germany's Jurgen Klinsmann and Miroslav Klose, as well as Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri, on six When asked about his "I'm back" statement after the match, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner said it was "only so they [his critics] don't forget - 23 years [doing so] like this". "I'm very happy but the most important thing is the work the team did and the confidence it gives us," added Ronaldo.