Cristiano Ronaldo etched his name deeper into World Cup history on Monday night, becoming only the second footballer ever to start 25 matches in the tournament—but the milestone came wrapped in disappointment as Portugal crashed out with a heartbreaking 1–0 loss to Spain in the Round of 16.
The 41-year-old captain led his side out surpassing yet another career landmark in his record-equaling sixth World Cup appearance. According to OptaJoe, Ronaldo now trails only his long-time rival Lionel Messi in all-time World Cup starts, with the Argentine having logged 27 across his own career. No other player in the tournament’s 94-year history has reached the 25-start threshold.
Yet the night belonged to Spain, as Mikel Merino rose in the 88th minute to head home a late cross, sending La Roja into the quarter-finals and ending Portugal’s campaign in cruel fashion.
Ronaldo, who had been subdued for much of the contest, managed only two shots on target and cut a frustrated figure as the final whistle blew, with his teammates slumped on the turf around him.
The defeat marks a bitter end to what has been an otherwise historic tournament for the Al-Nassr forward. At 41 years and 154 days, Ronaldo became the oldest player to start a knockout-stage World Cup match, and his five career World Cup goals remain a Portuguese record. However, he leaves without adding to that tally in 2026, having been held scoreless in all four of Portugal’s matches.
Messi, meanwhile, remains active in the tournament and could extend his record further if Argentina progress.
Portugal manager Roberto Martínez defended his decision to keep Ronaldo in the starting lineup, saying post-match: “Cristiano gave everything, as he always does. The record speaks for itself, but tonight we simply didn’t take our chances.”
