Ronaldo Makes World Cup History...First-Ever Appearance at Six Tournaments

Rival Messi Also Likely to Make Sixth World Cup Appearance

Cristiano Ronaldo, the living legend of Portuguese football who has surpassed forty, has become the first player in history to participate in six World Cup tournaments.

The Portuguese Football Federation announced on May 20 (local time) the final squad of 26+1 players for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, which includes Ronaldo. While the official World Cup squad consists of 26 players, Portugal symbolically revealed 27 names in honor of Diogo Jota, who passed away in a traffic accident last year.

With this, Ronaldo has become the first male player in World Cup history to be named to the final squad for six tournaments. His eternal rival, Lionel Messi, is also highly likely to be included in Argentina's final squad, which has yet to be announced, raising the possibility that both players will achieve the remarkable feat of appearing in six consecutive World Cups. Guillermo Ochoa, the goalkeeper for co-host Mexico, is also aiming to make his sixth consecutive World Cup appearance. However, Ochoa did not play in the 2006 and 2010 tournaments, having served as a reserve player.

Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo by AP Yonhap News

Ronaldo made his World Cup debut at the 2006 tournament in Germany and has scored in every tournament he has participated in. He is the only player to have scored in five consecutive World Cup tournaments.

Messi also debuted at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, but he failed to score in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. However, Messi leads in overall World Cup cumulative records.

To date, Messi has played 26 World Cup matches, recording 13 goals and 8 assists. He shares the record for most World Cup appearances and holds the record for the most attacking points in World Cup history. He is also the only player to have recorded an assist in five consecutive tournaments.

In contrast, Ronaldo has scored 8 goals and provided 2 assists in 22 World Cup matches.

Messi also lifted the trophy at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. He excelled with 7 goals and 3 assists, winning the Golden Ball, and became the first player in World Cup history to score in the group stage, Round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and final in a single tournament. In contrast, Ronaldo's best performance remains reaching the semifinals at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, his debut tournament.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.