Cristiano Ronaldo surpasses Eusébio and becomes Portugal’s top scorer in World Cups
Striker Cristiano Ronaldo rewrote another page in the history of Portuguese football by reaching a new record for the national team. During the match against Uzbekistan, valid for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, he scored two decisive goals, taking his World Cup total to 10 and consolidating himself as Portugal’s top scorer in the competition.
With this remarkable performance, the number 7 left behind the legend Eusébio, who held the top of the list with nine goals in World Cups since the 1966 edition, when he ended his participation in the tournament. The historic overtaking occurred precisely in his sixth participation in the World Cup, a feat that in itself represents an unprecedented milestone in the trajectory of the global championship.
The construction of this remarkable brand by Portugal’s top scorer in World Cups spanned two decades. His first contribution to the World Cup came in 2006, in Germany, followed by goals in the 2010 editions, in South Africa, and 2014, in Brazil. 2018, in Russia, was his most prolific, with four goals, and he also found the net in Qatar, in 2022, before surpassing Eusébio in the current World Cup, played in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
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Analysis of the performance of Portugal’s two top scorers in World Cups reveals different career paths. While Eusébio concentrated his nine goals in a single edition, in 1966, leading the team to third place, Cristiano Ronaldo distributed his goals over an impressive six consecutive World Cups, demonstrating longevity and consistency rare in high-level sport.
This recent record fills one of the few remaining gaps in the striker’s vast gallery of achievements within Portuguese football. Cristiano Ronaldo has already established himself, by far, as the team’s top scorer in official matches, accumulating an impressive 145 goals.
