Cristiano Ronaldo responded to criticism with a dominant performance at the 2026 World Cup, scoring twice as Portugal crushed Uzbekistan 5-0 after an opening 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Portugal captain ended the match by shouting, “I’m back!” to the cameras, after having heard calls that he should retire.
In a postgame interview, Ronaldo said, “They said I should retire, but I am here. The noise from outside always sounds like that, but we cannot control it. We keep moving forward and we are united.” The article says Portugal arrived at the tournament in a major way, backed by a strong display marked by the right approach, pressure and intensity.
Along with Ronaldo’s brace, Portugal also scored through Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leão, while Khusanov put the ball into his own net. The result was described as a statement win that answered what “millions of Portuguese” had been waiting to hear.
British pundit and former England striker Chris Sutton said the debate over Ronaldo will always exist, but on any given day Portugal can beat any team. He added, “You don’t show Cristiano Ronaldo a yellow card, and you don’t send off Messi.” The Athletic wrote that Ronaldo was shouting, “I’m back, I’m back!” right after the final whistle, though it said he would likely need to back it up again against Colombia.
