Cristiano Ronaldo continued his march through the record books with a brace in Portugal’s 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K clash at the NRG Stadium in Houston on Tuesday.
The Portugal captain opened the scoring in the sixth minute when he met João Cancelo’s delivery with a first-time right-footed volley that flew past goalkeeper Abduvokhid Nematov. Ronaldo struck again in the 39th minute, timing his run perfectly onto a through-ball from Bruno Fernandes before calmly finishing into the bottom corner.
The 41-year-old could easily have completed a hat-trick. A delicate chip was cleared off the line before halftime, while Nematov produced two sharp saves in the second half to deny him a third goal. Portugal, however, cruised to a comfortable victory as Ronaldo’s tally at FIFA World Cups moved into double figures.
His latest goals add to the reshaping of the all-time World Cup scoring charts during the tournament in North America. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé have both enjoyed prolific starts, rapidly climbing the historic rankings.
Messi currently leads the all-time list with 18 World Cup goals. The Argentina captain opened his campaign with a hat-trick against Algeria before adding a brace against Austria, taking his tournament tally in 2026 to five goals and moving clear at the top of the all-time standings.
Mbappé is not far behind. The France forward scored twice against Senegal and followed it up with another brace in France’s victory over Iraq. His four goals in the current tournament have lifted him to 16 World Cup goals overall, drawing level with Germany legend Miroslav Klose in second place.
Ronaldo’s brace against Uzbekistan has now taken him to 10 World Cup goals, placing him among an elite group of players to reach double digits on football’s biggest stage. Among active players, only Messi, Mbappé and Harry Kane have also reached the double-digit mark at FIFA World Cups.
Here’s a look at the leading goalscorers at the FIFA World Cup:
| Rank | Player | National Team | World Cup Goals |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Argentina | 18 |
| 2 (tied) | Kylian Mbappé | France | 16 |
| 2 (tied) | Miroslav Klose | Germany | 16 |
| 4 | Ronaldo Nazário | Brazil | 15 |
| 5 | Gerd Müller | West Germany | 14 |
| 6 | Just Fontaine | France | 13 |
| 7 | Pelé | Brazil | 12 |
| 8 (tied) | Sándor Kocsis | Hungary | 11 |
| 8 (tied) | Jürgen Klinsmann | Germany | 11 |
| 10 (tied) | Cristiano Ronaldo | Portugal | 10 |
| 10 (tied) | Helmut Rahn | West Germany | 10 |
| 10 (tied) | Gary Lineker | England | 10 |
| 10 (tied) | Harry Kane | England | 10 |
| 10 (tied) | Gabriel Batistuta | Argentina | 10 |
| 10 (tied) | Teófilo Cubillas | Peru | 10 |
| 10 (tied) | Grzegorz Lato | Poland | 10 |
| 10 (tied) | Thomas Müller | Germany | 10 |
ALSO READ | Virat Kohli’s Rs 300-Crore Gamble: Why He Walked Away From Puma To Build An Indian Sports Brand
Essential Business Intelligence,
Sharp Market Insights,
Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
