Cristiano Ronaldo made a strong start to the 2026 World Cup, answering criticism with a brace in Portugal’s first-half against Uzbekistan. The two goals moved the Portuguese star 17 places up the tournament’s all-time scoring list and into a more prominent position in the historical standings.
According to the ranking published in the article, Ronaldo now has 10 World Cup goals. That puts him 10th on the all-time list, tied for a place just behind Jürgen Klinsmann, who also finished with 11 goals for West Germany.
The top of the list remains led by Lionel Messi of Argentina with 18 goals. Miroslav Klose of Germany and Kylian Mbappé of France are tied for second with 16, followed by Brazil’s Ronaldo with 15, Gerd Müller of West Germany with 14, Just Fontaine of France with 13, Pelé of Brazil with 12, and Sándor Kocsis of Hungary with 11.
The report says Ronaldo arrived at the 2026 tournament “in a big way” and responded on the pitch after facing criticism. The piece was published by Sport 5 on June 23, 2026, at 20:51.