More World Cup history was made by Cristiano Ronaldo as soon as the whistle blew on Portugal’s World Cup round of 16 clash with Spain.
Ronaldo made his 25th World Cup start during what is his sixth and possibly final tournament, and this Spain fixture is a poetic way to mark a quarter-century of outings.
The only player still ahead of him is long-time rival Lionel Messi, who has managed two more than Ronaldo in the same amount of campaigns.
Messi has been breaking records all tournament long, becoming the top scorer in World Cup history with 20. Seven of those have come in North America, which puts him level with Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.
Ronaldo managed a brace against Uzbekistan, but has otherwise been largely frustrated.
The 41-year-old could still get one over on Messi, though. If he and Portugal can progress deep into the tournament while Argentina go crashing out against Egypt on Tuesday, that all-time starts record could be his.
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