Ronaldo responded to naysayers after the 5-0 World Cup win: “I’m always attacked. They told me I’m old, done”

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the captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored two on Tuesday goals for Portugal against Uzbekistan (5-0), silencing the critics.

“When we don’t play well or win, we are always attacked, especially me,” said Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldowho responded to his disappointing start to the 2026 World Cup with two goals against Uzbekistan on Tuesday. “I’m used to this criticism, but I continue,” he added to reporters in the mixed area.

The 41-year-old striker led his side to victory with two first-half goals, silencing the chorus of criticism that erupted following his lackluster performance against the Democratic Republic of Congo (1-1) at the start of the North American tour. “It was a very difficult week, a week where public opinion was very hard on us, on all the players, especially the coach, but that’s how it’s always been, it’s not a big deal,” he added.

“I’ve had a 23-year career and every time things go well, they say ‘this is Cristiano’, and when things go bad, ‘he’s done, he’s old’. That’s how it will always be,” he declared. In any case, “it was a good response from me and my teammates; that’s what we wanted. We were well organised, we played well, we played with high lines and when that happens it’s very difficult to stop Portugal.”

He declined to speculate on the possibility of a head-to-head clash with the Argentine Lionel Messihis generational rival, during the competition. “That question doesn’t make much sense,” he told a reporter. “It would be great, but the most important thing was today, to win to get out of the group and be ready for what’s to come. (…) I played well, I scored, I helped the team, the team played very well and we’re looking forward.”

His former star real madridwho currently plays for Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, now has 145 goals in 230 appearances for his country. Ten of those goals were scored in 24 matches of the World Cup, distributed in the editions of 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.