2 min readUpdated: Jun 24, 2026 12:30 PM IST
He had just scored twice, made history, shouted “I’m back” at a 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 reporter began: “Yesterday, Lionel Messi scored 2 goals and Mbappe…” He did not finish the sentence. Ronaldo turned his head, said “Go ahead,” and invited the next reporter to speak. Messi’s name had been in the air for perhaps two seconds. The moment was clipped, posted, and went around the world inside the hour.
It came just days after Messi became the all-time leading scorer in men’s World Cup history, reaching 18 goals to surpass Germany’s Miroslav Klose. Messi leads the Golden Boot race with five goals in two games. Ronaldo, by contrast, had gone into Tuesday’s game yet to score at the tournament.
Ronaldo shut down a second attempt too. Asked about Messi, Mbappe and Haaland, who are leading the race for the Golden Boot, he said: “Next question. The most important thing is the team, being united with them. We can’t control the rest that comes from outside.”
And yet. Later in the same session, a reporter asked about the possibility of Portugal and Argentina meeting in the knockout rounds. “I don’t know how to answer that,” Ronaldo said. “But, well, it would be awesome.”
Ronaldo and Messi have never faced each other in a major tournament across their entire careers. They are currently in separate groups and would need to both reach the latter stages for that to change.
Later in the press conference, another reporter asked if he could pose a question. “That depends on the question,” Ronaldo warned, “otherwise I won’t answer you.” Portugal face Colombia on Saturday. Argentina face Jordan on the same day.
