Wherever Cristiano Ronaldo goes at the , there is noise. A lot of noise. Before, during and after every match, fans follow his every move, building towards the familiar roar of "SIUUU!" It's a ritual repeated endlessly until the moment talisman scores again,
But when Ronaldo opened the scoring in the , the thousands packed into Houston Stadium had to wait a little longer. Instead of sprinting away to perform his trademark celebration, he headed straight for the bench. The captain embraced his team-mates and the manager, Roberto Martínez, both of whom had come under heavy criticism following Portugal's draw with Congo DR in their opening match.
Without saying a word, he said everything.
"It has been a difficult week. The criticism was intense, especially towards me," Ronaldo admitted, "but after 23 or 24 years in football, I know how to deal with it."
"The most important thing is the team, and to stick together and with our families as well, because those are the things we can control,” he said. “What comes from outside, we can't. We know that when we don't play well, we're always criticised, especially me, but as I said, I'm used to it."
After embracing the group, Ronaldo finally delivered his celebration, as if it were a reminder that, in the end, he was still Cristiano Ronaldo. Deadly, decisive and determined to win, and willing to set aside his own pride for the good of the team.
Indeed, just minutes after the goal, Portugal won a free-kick on the edge of the box, and it seemed set up for the superstar. The noise began again: "Cristiano Ronaldo!", chanted the fans, willing him to score, but the captain's presence was merely a decoy for Nuno Mendes to step up instead, catch the goalkeeper off guard, and fire home past outside of the wall to double Portugal's lead.
"The idea was to do something different,” said Ronaldo. “Originally, I was supposed to take the free-kick, but I went over to Nuno and told him, 'Let's fool the goalkeeper. He'll think it's me, but you hit it hard and score,'" added Ronaldo, who celebrated with Nuno after the goal.
Before half-time, however, he finally gave the fans the moment they had been waiting for all evening. Joao Felix played a clever pass into Bruno Fernandes to launch a rapid Portuguese counter-attack. Fernandes spotted his captain racing in behind the defence, and Ronaldo did what he does best.
This time there was no hesitation. Ronaldo sprinted towards the corner flag and the Houston Stadium erupted in perfect unison: "SIUUU!"
There was plenty to celebrate. Not only had Portugal effectively wrapped up a commanding victory, but Ronaldo also reached ten World Cup goals, becoming Portugal's all-time leading scorer in the tournament. He also became the : 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026.
"Scoring at a World Cup is always special," he said. "We wanted to respond after what happened in the last game, and we're very happy. Personally, records are always nice, but the objective is always to help the national team achieve its goals."
At a World Cup filled with superstar performances, Ronaldo may have taken a little longer than others to make his mark, but he proved once again that Portugal can always count on him to make some noise. Even when he does it quietly.
"I always arrive. Sooner or later, I’m there," said Ronaldo. "I just keep doing my work. I believe deeply in what I do, and that God helps those who work hard. My career has always been like that. It’s not going to change now."
Sources: FIFA Official
