Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal took another step toward trying to win their first ever World Cup — and could still include a potential clash against Lionel Messi and Argentina.
But a lot still needs to happen before we potentially see two of the greatest players of all time share the pitch once again.
Ronaldo scored twice in Tuesday’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in group-stage action, which sets up a pivotal match on Saturday against Colombia in Miami to settle who’ll win Group K.
Whichever team wins the group could face Messi and Argentina (winners of Group J) in a potential quarterfinal clash on July 11 in Kansas City. Of course, both teams would need to win their respective round of 32 and round of 16 games to get there. If Portugal finishes second in Group K, then it could only face Argentina in the July 19 final.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo was asked after the win over Uzbekistan about playing Messi down the road.
“It would be ’top,’ but what’s more important is today,” Ronaldo said during a post-game interview. “To try and win the group and prepare for what is coming. We are going to have a tough game vs. Colombia. But the main objective was to get through the group, and we are doing it. I played well, I helped the team, the team is doing well, and we’ll keep going.”
Messi has five goals in the race for the Golden Boot, given to the tournament’s top goalscorer. Messi is also top of the list of all-time World Cup goalscorers with 18 — compared to Ronaldo’s 10. Both players have now participated in six World Cup tournaments, with Ronaldo having scored in all of them. Messi didn’t score in the 2010 edition.
The two have played each other in 35 official club competitions (mostly when Ronaldo with Real Madrid and Messi with Barcelona) — with Messi winning 16, Ronaldo winning 10 and nine draws. They played in one club friendly in 2023, won by Messi while with Paris Saint-Germain over Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
Messi has also won the Ballon d’Or — awarded to the world’s best player — a record eight times, compared to Ronaldo’s five.
On the international stage, they have played each other twice, splitting those games. They have never faced each other at the World Cup — the only major trophy that has eluded Ronaldo across his career with Portugal. Messi won it in 2022 for Argentina’s third overall title.
Portugal vs Uzbekistan Extended Highlights | 2026 FIFA World Cup™
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