Cristiano Ronaldo has become the highest scorer for Portugal in FIFA World Cup history, reaching 10 goals after a two-goal first half against Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
This achievement puts him ahead of the legendary Eusebio, who held the previous record with nine World Cup goals.
Eusebio, renowned for leading Portugal to third place in the 1966 FIFA World Cup and finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with nine goals, also won the Ballon d’Or in 1965. He helped S.L. Benfica secure the European Cup in 1962, claimed 11 Portuguese league titles, five Portuguese Cups, and earned the European Golden Boot twice, in 1968 and 1973.
Following Ronaldo and Eusebio, Pauleta is third on Portugal’s all-time FIFA World Cup scoring list with four goals.
In the match against Uzbekistan, Ronaldo opened the scoring in the sixth minute, concluding a sweeping Portugal move following Joao Cancelo’s run and low cross from the right, bringing him level with Eusebio on nine goals. Portugal then increased their lead to 2-0 in the 17th minute with a goal from Nuno Mendes. Ronaldo added his second of the game in the 39th minute after receiving a precise through ball from Bruno Fernandes, calmly finishing past goalkeeper Utkir Nematov to make the score 3-0. This goal took his World Cup tally to 10, making him Portugal’s all-time leading scorer in the tournament.
Ronaldo also set a new record as the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments. Having scored in each edition since 2006, his goal against Uzbekistan marked a historic milestone. His World Cup goals were scored as follows: one in 2006, one in 2010, one in 2014, four in 2018, one in 2022, and two in 2026. Additionally, Ronaldo holds the record as the highest goalscorer in international football history with 145 goals.
Before the Uzbekistan match, Ronaldo had a challenging performance during Portugal’s 1-1 opening draw against DR Congo in the FIFA World Cup 2026. The 41-year-old forward struggled to make an impact, recording only 25 touches, three shots without on-target attempts, and winning just one duel. This was one of his lowest involvement games in World Cup history, marking the second-fewest touches in a World Cup start and illustrating his limited influence in Portugal’s attack.