Cristiano Ronaldo Walks Off Over Lionel Messi Queries After FIFA World Cup Heroics, Then Snaps: "Kylian Mbappe Scored Too"

Cristiano Ronaldo's first statement to the camera after scoring a brace for Portugal against Uzbekistan at the FIFA World Cup 2026 was: "I am back". After a rather tame display in Portugal's first match against DR Congo, Ronaldo fired back with two goals against Uzbekistan in a 5-0 win. Ronaldo is now the first man to score in a world-record six FIFA World Cups. That the world record came a day after his long-time rival Lionel Messi became the top goal-scorer in FIFA World Cups once again started a new comparison battle.

Needless to say, Ronaldo was pestered with 'Messi question' after the match. Speaking after the match, Ronaldo addressed questions about a potential face-off with long-time rival Argentine legend Lionel Messi, calling the prospect "awesome" while stressing that his immediate focus remained on Portugal's progress in the tournament.

"I don't know how to answer that. But, well, it would be awesome. The most important thing was today, winning to advance, and being ready for what's next ... The main goal was to advance from the group stage, and we did it," Ronaldo said, as quoted by ESPN.

It was not over. Ronaldo shut down another question on Messi, with whom he has been compared throughout his career.

"Next question," he snapped when asked about Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, who are leading the race for the tournament's Golden Boot.

Then, when he was asked a question on Messi's hat-trick against Algeria, Ronaldo just walked away. "I couldn't care less about the others," he said.

As he walked away, Ronaldo raised his arms and shouted: "Kylian Mbappe also scored."

🚨 Cristiano Ronaldo when asked once again and again about Messi: “I couldn't care less about others... Mbappé also scored”. pic.twitter.com/yNrz6p3GhX

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 24, 2026

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player in history to score in six different FIFA World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026), according to ESPN.

At 41 years and 138 days, Ronaldo also became the oldest player to score multiple goals in a World Cup match, surpassing the previous record set during this tournament by Lionel Messi. He further moved to the second spot among the oldest goalscorers in World Cup history, behind Cameroon's Roger Milla, who scored in 1994 at 42 years and 39 days.

Ronaldo also extended his list of World Cup achievements by overtaking Eusebio to become Portugal's all-time top scorer in the tournament, with 10 goals. He has now scored against 49 different international teams, taking his career tally to an extraordinary 145 goals in 230 appearances.

In another notable statistic, Ronaldo featured in his 24th World Cup match, with only Lionel Messi (28) and Lothar Matthaus (25) having played more in the competition's history.

Featured Video Of The Day

Topics mentioned in this article

Portugal Argentina Ronaldo Messi 2026 FIFA World Cup Mbappe Football