New Records for Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo once again etched his name into the annals of world football history during the Round of 16 clash against Croatia (2-1) at the 2026 World Cup. The 41-year-old legend added new records to his illustrious career after scoring from a penalty in the 61st minute.

With this goal, Ronaldo became the oldest goalscorer in the history of World Cup knockout stages. The forward netted at precisely 41 years and 147 days old, surpassing the previous record held by his former teammate Pepe, who scored at 39 years and 283 days against Switzerland (6-1) in 2022.

This goal also held immense sentimental value for the Portuguese star, as it officially ended one of his longest-standing personal jinxes on the international stage. The strike against the Croats was his first-ever goal in a World Cup knockout match. Prior to this, Ronaldo had scored in the group stages of five different World Cups but had never found the net in the crucial elimination rounds, making this evening in Canada even more special for him.

To top it all off, with this goal, Cristiano Ronaldo became the first and only European footballer in history to surpass the 25-goal mark in major international tournaments (combining World Cups and European Championships). This achievement puts him on par with Brazilian legend Ronaldo Nazário – 'The Phenomenon'.