With a professional career spanning more than two decades of plays, goals, and talent, Cristiano Ronaldo has built one of the most impressive scoring records in soccer history.
In fact, the Portuguese player is 35 goals away from 1,000 goals (965), making him the only player to achieve this record. However, within this extraordinary record, there is a curious statistic that never ceases to surprise fans: “El Bicho” has never scored a goal in the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup.
CR7 will seek to reverse a World Cup “curse”
The Portugal captain has participated in five World Cups (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022), scoring goals in the group stage in several of those editions and carrying the hopes of thousands of fans in his country who dream of lifting their first cup.
Despite his track record and scoring streak, when the tournament enters its decisive phase (whether it be the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, or final), the Portuguese player has failed to score, according to ESPN FC.
The truth is that, if we go back to the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Cristiano’s first, where Portugal reached the semifinals, Ronaldo played in the knockout matches against the Netherlands, England, France, and Germany, but did not score. In the 2010 edition in South Africa, CR7 and company were eliminated in the round of 16 against Spain, where the Al Nassr star also failed to score.
Brazil 2014 was different, as Portugal did not make it past the group stage. In Russia 2018, Ronaldo shone in the first phase with a hat trick against Spain and another goal against Morocco, but when the team reached the round of 16, they lost 2-1 to Uruguay without any goals from the Portuguese player.
Meanwhile, in the latest edition of the tournament in Qatar 2022, the Portuguese team reached the quarterfinals, and although Ronaldo started that decisive match against Morocco on the bench, he still failed to score. He did not even add a goal in the 6-1 victory over Switzerland in the round of 16.
The truth is that this statistic is surprising for a player who has scored multiple times and in various competitions like Cristiano.
As he nears the end of his career, the possibility of changing that statistic depends on whether the Portuguese star manages to compete in another World Cup, and he is determined to reverse it in the tournament to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
CR7 was diagnosed with a hamstring injury after Al Nassr’s last game against AlFayha (3-1). Although he has begun the rehabilitation process and his condition will be evaluated on a daily basis, the Portuguese star is forced to sit out a few games to recover.
Personally, the injury also temporarily halts his challenge to reach 1,000 official goals in his career, stopping the counter at 965. Meanwhile, only time will tell when we will see the Portuguese player back on the pitch and if he manages to break this ‘curse’ that has plagued his career.
In the meantime, Portugal will face Colombia, Uzbekistan, and the winner of the intercontinental playoff between Jamaica, Congo, and New Caledonia in Group K. On Wednesday, June 17, Portugal will play its first match against the winner of the intercontinental playoff. On Tuesday, June 23, it will face Uzbekistan, and on Saturday, June 27, Colombia.
