Ronaldo underlines legacy, importance to Portugal ...

Alex KirklandJun 23, 2026, 03:46 PM ET

HOUSTON -- Why does Cristiano Ronaldo still start for Portugal? Here, in Houston, was your answer.

In a FIFA World Cup defined so far by big names -- with Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland leading the race for the Golden Boot -- Ronaldo has now joined the party, scoring twice in Portugal's 5-0 Group K win over Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

"I'm back! I'm back!" he shouted, in English, looking straight down the camera, at full time. A message had been sent, and Ronaldo wanted to make it absolutely clear.

He was the only truly global superstar missing. No longer. At 41, with his career surely approaching its end, Ronaldo's limitations are sometimes painfully obvious. But on a day like this, so too are his enduring strengths.

And whether you like him or not -- reactions to Ronaldo have always been extreme -- it's hard not to be impressed and even moved by his relentless commitment and dedication to doing one thing, over and over again: scoring goals.

It's the one thing that has always defined Ronaldo. No other player has scored at six World Cups. He has ten World Cup goals in total, and is now both the youngest and oldest player to score for Portugal in the competition.

But going into Tuesday's game, even that gift looked to have deserted him, at least at this level, when it really matters, in international tournaments, on the global stage, where he believes he still belongs.

Almost three and a half years had passed since his last international tournament goal, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Ten long matches followed, including the entirety of a barren Euro 2024.

Portugal's World Cup opener against Congo DR last week had looked like the belated confirmation of the end of an era. There, Ronaldo touched the ball 25 times and had three shots, none of them on target. His presence in the side looked like a limiting factor, a retrograde move holding back a talented squad capable of winning this World Cup.

"I can say it was a very tough week, a difficult week, where public opinion was very harsh on us, on all the players, but especially on me and the coach," Ronaldo said after the match. "I've been a professional for 23 years. When things go well, Cristiano is great; when they go badly, he's 'finished' or 'too old.' That's just how it is."

Coach Roberto Martínez stuck by him, as he always has. Speaking on Monday, he insisted on Ronaldo's value to the team, even when he fails to fulfill his primary objective of finding the net.

"Cristiano opens up spaces with his movements," Martínez said on Monday. "He's the best at doing that. The numbers support him."

His fans support him, too. They always have. In Houston on Tuesday, every mention of Ronaldo's name was greeted with thousands of cheers. So was every appearance on the stadium's giant screens. You could feel the crowd -- the vast majority of whom were supporting Portugal -- willing him to score, every time the ball was anywhere near him.

They didn't have to wait long. In much the same way that Lamine Yamal's early goal released the pressure for Spain in Sunday's win over Saudi Arabia and erased the disappointment of their opening game, here it was Ronaldo -- a star coming to the end of a path that Yamal is only just beginning to walk -- who eased the tension.

Before that, there was a first, half chance for Ronaldo after four minutes. The forward, stretching, was just unable to connect with Nuno Mendes' cross. The crowd groaned in disappointment.

Two minutes later, they were cheering what was textbook Ronaldo: a clever movement to the near post to get away from his defender, meeting João Cancelo's cross, and finishing effortlessly to make it 1-0. Ronaldo made it look straightforward, but that's because every decision, every movement, was the right one, honed by decades of practice.

With just six minutes on the clock, the afternoon's script already appeared to be written. The only question was: would it be just one goal for Ronaldo? Or how many more?

His next opportunity came in the 17th minute, as Portugal had a free kick just outside the box. Every single person in this stadium, and millions more watching around the world, assumed that Ronaldo would take it. Even the cameraman zoomed in on the No. 7 for a close-up. But instead, Ronaldo wrong-footed everybody, leaving it for Nuno Mendes, who curled the ball into the bottom corner.

Would Ronaldo have taken the shot if he was still looking for his first goal? Probably. In any case, he had his second goal on 39 minutes, played in behind the defense by Bruno Fernandes, and shooting across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner.

Portugal led 3-0 and the game was won. In the second half, Ronaldo kept chasing his hat trick. He ended the game with two goals, from 34 touches, seven shots, and five of them on target, with a personal xG (expected goals) of 1.33, statistics far superior to those against Congo DR.

Colombia, in Portugal's third group game on June 27, will be a more serious test, as will the knockout stages. But whatever happens next, by scoring here, Ronaldo has -- for now -- silenced those who doubted whether he still even belonged in this context.

Just like Messi, his legacy is already established, built goal by goal, trophy by trophy, record by record. He is still here, doing this, because he doesn't know how to do anything else.