Cristiano Ronaldo made a major move at the 2026 World Cup, answering criticism with a strong performance for Portugal against Uzbekistan. He scored twice in the first half, and that brace lifted him 17 places in the tournament’s all-time scoring rankings.
After the two goals, Ronaldo now sits 10th on the World Cup’s career goals list with 10. The article says he climbed from far lower in the historical table after his latest strike pair in the group-stage match.
The top of the all-time list remains led by Lionel Messi of Argentina with 18 goals. Miroslav Klose of Germany and Kylian Mbappe of France are tied for second on 16, followed by Ronaldo of Brazil with 15, Gerd Muller of West Germany with 14, Just Fontaine of France with 13, Pele of Brazil with 12, and Sandor Kocsis and Jurgen Klinsmann on 11 each.
The report frames Ronaldo’s response as one delivered on the pitch after criticism, and notes that his brace came during Portugal’s first half against Uzbekistan at the 2026 World Cup.
