Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name into the history books on Tuesday (June 23) by becoming the first player to score in six editions of the FIFA World Cup. The 41-year-old needed just six minutes to open his account in the 2026 tournament, finding the back of the net in Portugal’s second Group K match against Uzbekistan.
The goal against Uzbekistan was Ronaldo’s ninth in FIFA World Cup history, and it ensured that he has scored at least once in six different editions of the tournament.
Lionel Messi has scored in five FIFA World Cup editions for Argentina and three players – Mirsolav Klose, Pele and Uwe Seeler – have scored in four FIFA World Cup editions.
Players to score goals in most FIFA World Cup editions
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | TOURNAMENTS SCORED | GOALS | TOURNAMENTS |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 6 | 9* | 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Lionel Messi | Argentina | 5 | 18 | 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026 |
| Miroslav Klose | Germany | 4 | 16 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 |
| Pele | Brazil | 4 | 12 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| Uwe Seeler | West Germany | 4 | 9 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
Ronaldo, who is one of only two footballers
to have played in six FIFA World Cup editions, scored his first World Cup goal in Portugal’s Group D match against Iran at Waldstadion in Frankfurt on June 17, 2006. He also scored once at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, netting against North Korea at Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town on June 21, 2010.
The all-time leading goalscorer in men’s international football scored his third FIFA World Cup goal against Ghana at Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasília on June 26, 2014.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Ronaldo scored four goals, including a hat-trick in Portugal’s opening group-stage match against Spain at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi on June 15 and another goal in the following group-stage match against Morocco at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on June 20, 2018.
Ronaldo scored his eighth FIFA World Cup goal on November 24, 2022, against Ghana in a group-stage match at Stadium 974 in Doha.
FIFA World Cup goals by Cristiano Ronaldo
| GOALS | AGAINST | VENUE | DATE |
| 1 | Iran | Waldstadion, Frankfurt | June 17, 2006 |
| 2 | North Korea | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town | June 21, 2010 |
| 3 | Ghana | Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha, Brasília | June 26, 2014 |
| 4 | Spain | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi | June 15, 2018 |
| 5 | Spain | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi | June 15, 2018 |
| 6 | Spain | Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi | June 15, 2018 |
| 7 | Morocco | Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow | June 20, 2018 |
| 8 | Ghana | Stadium 974, Doha | November 24, 2022 |
| 9 | Uzbekistan | NRG Stadium, Houston | June 23, 2026 |
The goal by Ronaldo in the sixth minute against Uzbekistan also helped him become the second oldest goal scorer (41 years and 138 days) in FIFA World Cup history.
The record for being the oldest goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history belongs to Roger Milla. The Cameroonian legend was 42 years and 39 days old when he scored against Russia in a group-stage match at the FIFA World Cup 1994.
