Why Did Ronaldo Say 'I'm Back' After Portugal's Win?: 'So People Don't Forget'

Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments on Tuesday by scoring two goals in Portugal’s match against Uzbekistan. 41-year-old Ronaldo made history in the sixth minute when João Cancelo crossed it to him, and he shot with his right foot to make it 1-0. He ran toward the bench and celebrated with his teammates after the score. He scored again in the 39th minute when he got a pass from Bruno Fernandes and scored with his right foot just inside the near post to make the score 3-0. The goals make him the second-oldest player to score at a World Cup behind Cameroon forward Roger Milla, who was 42 when he scored at the 1994 tournament in the United States. Following his second goal, Ronaldo delivered a simple message: "I'm back." Ronaldo repeated the message after the final whistle. "It's so people don’t forget," Ronaldo said postgame when asked about his comments. Ronaldo's came after the criticism he received for his performance in Portugal's first group stage match, in which he was held scoreless and Portugal settled for a shocking 1-1 draw against DR Congo. But for Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ronaldo had no reason to respond. "I thought he never left, I don't know why he says ‘I’m back,'" Ibrahimović said. Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi became the only men in history to play in six World Cup tournaments this year. Ronaldo’s scoring streak started in his debut in 2006, and he also netted goals in 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022. While he shares the record for most tournaments with Messi, he stands alone in scoring a goal in each edition after Messi failed to score a goal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. "It’s always good to break records, but the most important is help the team and get our objectives," Ronaldo said in the mixed zone on Tuesday. "God helps whoever works. I knew my teammates would help me too "It was a dark week difficult week. It seemed like I was retired from football, but I’m holding because I believe in work. Its was difficult, I can confess, but we are back."" Ronaldo’s goals Tuesday gave him 10 career goals in the tournament. Messi has 18 after a hat trick in Argentina's opener against Algeria and two more goals Monday against Austria that made him the all-time leading scorer in tournament history. Tuesday's game was the 230th of Ronaldo’s international career, which is the most in history. "I’m very happy but the most important is the work that team did and our confidence in us," Ronaldo said. "We battled with a lot during the week and and we knew that would happen but the team did well and we got better." This is likely to be the final World Cup for Ronaldo, who won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 and the Champions League five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid. The Associated Press contributed to this report.