Cristiano Ronaldo’s two-word response when asked about Lionel Messi at World Cup

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Portugal superstar Cristiano Ronaldo stirred up some major controversy after a 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup was branded as the last ride for Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo. After all, this is the two legends’ sixth World Cup for their respective nations.

While Messi was off to a flying start with five goals in Argentina’s first two games, Ronaldo took his time and scored a brace in Portugal’s recent matchup vs. Uzbekistan.

Evidently, Ronaldo’s performance sparked a debate between the two legends, but it seemed to rub the 41-year-old off in a wrong way.

Cristiano Ronaldo interrupts reporter’s Lionel Messi question

After Ronaldo played a key role in dismantling Uzbekistan, a reporter tried shifting 5x Ballon D’Or winner’s focus on Messi’s brace against Austria.

However, the Portuguese legend seemed to take offense to the question as he quickly shut off the reporter.

“Next question,” Ronaldo said when asked about Messi scoring two goals against Austria.

Most fans felt Ronaldo was annoyed with the reporter, but can the Al-Nassr star be blamed for his actions? After all, even a single wrong word would have sparked another debate between the two legends’ fanbases.

However, some viewed it as petty behavior from Ronaldo as it seemed like the Portugal captain didn’t want the spotlight to shift back to his archrival, especially with a shot at facing Argentina later in the tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo is now Portugal’s highest goalscorer in World Cups

Keeping Ronaldo’s post-match controversy aside, it felt like the Al-Nassr superstar turned back the clock when his team needed him the most.

Following a 1-1 draw against DR Congo in the World Cup opener, Ronaldo was brutally called out on social media, with many fans urging the soccer legend to hang up his boots.

But like so many times before in his career, Ronaldo chose to silence his critics with a stunning performance on the field as CR7 scored a brace vs. Uzbekistan.

The brace also helped Ronaldo move past Eusebio as Portugal’s all-time leading scorer in World Cup history with 10 goals to his name.

With Ronaldo ending his scoring drought, the next step is to help secure a place in the Round of 32 with a solid result vs. Colombia in Portugal’s final matchup in the group stage.