World Cup 2026, Portugal: Ronaldo wants to respond to Messi against the DRC.
Author of a stunning hat-trick with Argentina, Lionel Messi set the bar high right from the start of the 2026 World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo, expected to represent Portugal against the DR Congo, will also try to make an impression in his first appearance.
Cristiano Ronaldo is about to make his entry into the 2026 World Cup with Portugal. The captain of the Seleção will face the DR Congo this Wednesday, aiming to kick off the Portuguese campaign in the right way within the group. The Al-Nassr forward arrives in a particular context. Just a few hours earlier, his great rival Lionel Messi made headlines by scoring a hat-trick in Argentina’s victory over Algeria (3-0), allowing the world champions to successfully start their campaign.
This historic performance gave the Argentine his first hat-trick in the World Cup. At 38 years old, Messi also became the oldest player to achieve such a feat in the history of the competition, surpassing a record previously held by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese international set this mark during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when he scored a memorable hat-trick against Spain at the age of 33 years and 122 days.
At 41, Ronaldo continues to write his own legend. An undisputed leader of the Portuguese team, he hopes to guide his team to the top and confirm his status as a major figure in world football. Against the DR Congo, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will also seek to find the back of the net in order to leave his mark on a new World Cup final stage and respond, in his own way, to the achievement realized by Messi just hours earlier.
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