Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo ignored a question about Lionel Messi following the European side's 5-0 win over Uzbekistan in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Group K clash in Houston on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo had begun the tournament with a goalless run against DR Congo last week, but bounced back to form by scoring two goals against Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
Argentina's Lionel Messi, on the other hand, has enjoyed an excellent start to the FIFA World Cup, scoring a hat-trick against Algeria and a brace against Austria.
Ronaldo dodges a reporter's question about Messi
All this has reignited the Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo debate among fans. "Yesterday," a reporter began asking his question during the post-match interaction.
"Lionel Messi scored two goals, [Kylian] Mbappe...". Before the reporter could complete his question, Ronaldo stepped away and said, "Vale (Go on)," as he took a question from another reporter.
Ronaldo was also asked the possibility of facing Lionel Messi and Argentina later on in the FIFA World Cup. Although he said it would be "awesome" to face Lionel Messi at the FIFA World Cup, he quickly switched focus back to Portugal's FIFA World Cup campaign. "I don't know how to answer that," the 41-year-old said. "But, well, it would be awesome," he added.
"The most important thing was today, winning to advance, and being ready for what's next ... The main goal was to advance from the group stage, and we did it," the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player explained.
While Ronaldo, like Messi, has enjoyed a stellar career in professional football, the FIFA World Cup trophy has eluded him.
Messi, on the other hand, ended his long wait to win the FIFA World Cup with Argentina after his team defeated France 4-2 on penalties in the 2022 final in Qatar.
The win over Uzbekistan means that Portugal are in second place with four points from two matches. In order to qualify for the round of 32, all Portugal need to do is either draw or beat Colombia, who qualified for the knockout stages with a 1-0 win over DR Congo on Tuesday.
After scoring his first goal against Uzbekistan, Ronaldo became the first player to score in six different FIFA World Cups. The veteran, however, is not thinking too much about personal records and said that teamwork is what matters the most.
"Records are always nice to break, but my goal is to help the national team achieve its objectives," he said. "The most important thing was the team's work and the confidence we had," he added.
The Portugal vs Colombia match will take place on Saturday at the Miami Stadium.
