Read for 2 minutesUpdated: June 24, 2026 12:30 PM IST
He scored just twice, made history, yelled “I’m back” to the camera, and survived a dark week. Cristiano Ronaldo had every reason to be generous in the mixed zone at Houston Stadium on Tuesday night. Then someone mentioned Messi.
A journalist began: “Lionel Messi scored 2 goals yesterday and Mbappe…” He didn’t finish the sentence. Ronaldo turned his head, said “go ahead” and invited the next journalist to speak. Messi’s name was in the air for maybe two seconds. The moment was captured, posted and traveled around the world within an hour.
It comes just days after Messi overtook Germany’s Miroslav Klose to become the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history with 18 goals. Messi leads the race for the Golden Boot with five goals in two games. Ronaldo, on the other hand, had yet to score a goal in the tournament heading into Tuesday’s match.
Ronaldo blocked the second attempt as well. Asked about Messi, Mbappe and Haaland leading the race for the Golden Boot, he said: “The next question. The most important thing is the team, to be united with them. We cannot control outsiders.”
And yet. Later in the same session, a journalist asked about the possibility of Portugal and Argentina meeting in the knockout stages. “I don’t know how to answer that,” Ronaldo said, “but, well, that would be great.”
Ronaldo and Messi have never faced each other in a major tournament in their entire careers. They are currently in separate groups and both need to reach the later stages to change that.
Later in the press conference, another reporter asked if they could ask a question. “It depends on the question,” Ronaldo warned, “otherwise I won’t give you an answer.” Portugal will face Colombia on Saturday. On the same day, Argentina will face Jordan.