Why did Ronaldo say “I’m back” after Portugal won? : “So that people don’t forget”

Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday became the first player to score in six different World Cup tournaments when he scored twice in Portugal’s match against Uzbekistan. Ronaldo, 41, made history in the sixth minute when João Cancelo crossed him, and he fired in with his right foot to make it 1-0. He ran to the bench and celebrated with his teammates after the score. He scored again in the 39th minute when he received a pass from Bruno Fernandes and scored with his right foot just inside the near post to make it 3–0. The goals make him the second-oldest player to score at a World Cup behind Cameroonian striker Roger Milla, who was 42 when he scored at the 1994 tournament in the United States. After his second goal, Ronaldo delivered a simple message: “I’m back.” Ronaldo repeated the message after the final whistle. “It’s so people don’t forget,” Ronaldo said after the match when asked about his comments. Ronaldo’s follows criticism he received for his performance in Portugal’s first group stage match, in which he was held scoreless and Portugal settled for a 1-1 draw against DR Congo. But for Zlatan Ibrahimović, Ronaldo had no reason to respond. “I thought he never left, I don’t know why he says ‘I’m back’,” Ibrahimović said. Ronaldo and Argentina captain Lionel Messi became the only men in history to appear in six World Cup tournaments this year. Ronaldo’s goal streak began on his debut in 2006, and he has also scored goals in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. Although he shares the record for most tournaments with Messi, he is the only one to score a goal in every edition after Messi failed to score a goal in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. “It’s always good to break records, but the most important thing is to help the team and achieve our goals,” Ronaldo said in the mixed zone on Tuesday. “God helps the hardworking. I knew my teammates would help me too.” It was a dark and difficult week. I felt like I was retired from football, but I’m holding on because I believe in work. It was tough, I can admit, but we’re back. “”Ronaldo’s goals on Tuesday gave him 10 career goals in the tournament. Messi has 18 after a hat trick in Argentina’s opener against Algeria and two more goals on Monday against Austria that made him the all-time top scorer in tournament history. Tuesday’s match was the 230th of Ronaldo’s international career, which is the most matches in history. “I’m very happy but the most important thing is the work this team has done and the confidence we have in ourselves,” Ronaldo said. “We fought against a lot of things during the week and we knew this would happen, but the team did well and we got better.” This will likely be the last World Cup for Ronaldo, who won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016 and the Champions League five times with Manchester United and Real Madrid. The Associated Press contributed to this report.