Ronaldo shuts down Messi question after Portugal win

Cristiano Ronaldo ended a journalist’s attempt to discuss Lionel Messi on Tuesday following Portugal’s victory. The Portugal striker cut short a reporter who began a question about Messi, Mbappé and Haaland’s World Cup goals. Ronaldo redirected the reporter with a blunt directive: “Next question.” He had already scored twice against Uzbekistan earlier in the tournament, ending a streak without a goal at the World Cup. “Cristiano, Messi and Kylian Mbappé all scored twice on Monday evening…” the reporter began before Ronaldo interrupted. The forward immediately turned to another journalist and repeated his phrase. After the match, Ronaldo celebrated his return to scoring form, shouting “I’m back, I’m back!” into the camera. His two goals against Uzbekistan marked his first World Cup strikes since the 2018 edition.

Ronaldo fires twice as Portugal thrash Uzbekistan 5-0

In a separate interview with Portuguese television, Ronaldo addressed his outburst. “Did I say ‘I’m back, I’m back’ to the camera? Yes, so people don’t forget,” he said. “It’s been a tough week, a dark week. It started like I’d already stopped playing football. Everyone said I should retire, but I’m still here. I kept going, as I always do, because I value hard work highly. It was tough—I admit that—but we came back,” Ronaldo added. His comments followed criticism of his form and calls for him to retire, particularly after Portugal’s opening match. Ronaldo has now rediscovered his scoring touch ahead of the knockout stages.

Majority of Portuguese fans exclude Ronaldo from starting XI vs Uzbekistan

The striker’s reaction underscored his determination to silence doubters and prove his enduring quality on football’s biggest stage. Ronaldo’s two goals against Uzbekistan brought his World Cup tally to eight across five tournaments, extending his record as the competition’s all-time top scorer.