Clear: Ronaldo speaks candidly about Messi for the first time after leading Portugal to victory in the 2026 World Cup in football.
On 24 June 2026, Cristiano Ronaldo, the 41-year-old Portuguese superstar, gave an interview after Portugal's 5-0 group stage win over Uzbekistan in the 2026 World Cup Group K second match, securing their first victory and increasing their points to 4.
Additionally, Cristiano Ronaldo set the record as the first player to score in six consecutive World Cup finals from 2006 to 2026, and became the second oldest player to score in a World Cup (41 years and 138 days), behind only Roger Milla, the Cameroon legend (42 years and 39 days).
Cristiano Ronaldo spoke about ending his goal drought for Portugal after failing to score in 10 consecutive major tournaments (World Cup and Euro) saying, "God helps those who work hard. It has been a tough and dark week."
"I felt as if I had stopped playing football, but I kept persevering as always because I believe in hard work beyond just football. I admit it hasn't been easy, but we've come back."
Regarding criticism, Cristiano Ronaldo said, "It's normal because if you think about it, I've been a professional footballer for 23 years. Every time things don't go well, there's criticism saying 'Ronaldo is finished, he's too old.' But this is a good response from me and my teammates, which is exactly what we want."
On his record, which came just one day after Lionel Messi, his eternal rival from Argentina, became the all-time top scorer in World Cup history (18 goals), Ronaldo said, "I'm very happy, but for me, the most important thing is the team's performance and the confidence we have."
"We've faced a lot of pressure and criticism all week, which we expected. The team has worked very well and improved a lot. As they say, in every crisis, there is opportunity."
"For me, breaking records is always a joy, but the main goal is to help the national team achieve its objective (winning the World Cup). For now, the goal is to qualify, and with 4 points, I think we've succeeded."
"Today I was named the best player on the field, but tomorrow it could be someone else. If we stay united, I believe we can go very far." When asked about Messi's goals, he answered frankly, "I don't care about Messi."
