The Portuguese captain became the only player to score in six World Cups after his brace against Uzbekistan. Published On 6 Jul 20266 Jul 2026It was a humid, sticky afternoon in Dallas when the curtain fell on Cristiano Ronaldo’s illustrious FIFA World Cup career after Portugal lost to Spain in the round of 16.The match on Monday marked the last time the football legend would take to the pitch for his country in the global tournament, where he left his mark across six editions.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listRonaldo confirmed his World Cup farewell after the match, saying: “I’m sad to be leaving the World Cup like this.”“I gave it my all. I did my best, and I’m leaving with a clear conscience. It was my last World Cup, yes, but I’ll now have time to reflect and be with my family. I won’t be making any rash decisions.”The 41-year-old stopped short of confirming whether he had played his final game for Portugal, saying he did not want a personal decision to overshadow the team’s campaign.Ronaldo took one final look around Dallas Stadium as he fought back tears and applauded the crowd before slowly making his way to the locker room one last time, clutching the captain’s armband in his hand.Although he walks away without ever having lifted the World Cup trophy, Ronaldo is one of the few players to have had a career this distinguished.What World Cup records does Ronaldo hold?Ronaldo became the first and only player to score at six different World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026) when, at this year’s group stage, his brace helped Portugal thrash Uzbekistan 5-0.The global icon is Portugal’s most-capped player, with 27 tournament appearances that produced 11 goals for his country. Advertisement His penalty kick against Croatia this year marked his first goal in the tournament’s knockout stage and made him the oldest goalscorer in World Cup knockout history at 41 years and 147 days.Overall, he is the second-oldest goalscorer at a World Cup after Cameroon’s Roger Milla, who was 42 years and 39 days old when he scored against Russia in 1994.How does Ronaldo compare with Messi …
