Cristiano Ronaldo was back at his very best as he slammed in two history-making goals for Portugal in their FIFA World Cup 2026 match against Uzbekistan. Ronaldo became the first player in history to score in six different World Cups, leading Portugal to a 5-0 victory. But away from the records, there was also a heartwarming storyline attached to the game. Uzbekistan stars Rustamjon Ashurmatov and Dostonbek Khamdamov had met Ronaldo when they were barely teenagers when the Portuguese star had visited Tashkent in 2009. 17 years later, they were squaring off against him on the global stage.
Photos and videos of Ronaldo attending a camp of footballers in Tashkent, which also featured Ashurmatov and Khamdamov, went viral on social media ahead of the game.
At the time, Ashurmatov and Khamdamov were 12 or 13 years old, while Ronaldo was just a one-time Ballon d’Or winner who had just left Manchester United for Real Madrid in a world record deal.
Cristiano Ronaldo with Uzbekistan’s Ashurmatov and Khamdamov in 2009.
16 years later, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace against them. pic.twitter.com/1iys2lrTdG
— Madrid Xtra (@MadridXtra) June 23, 2026
Ashurmatov:
Bu harika bir fotoraf, Ronaldo’nun ziyareti beklenmedik bir eydi.
Gelip bizimle futbol oynad, o srada biz 13 yndaydk.
Khamdamov:
Unutulmaz bir and; o dnemde Ronaldo hretinin zirvesindeydi. pic.twitter.com/FftqFgTvq3
— Golista (@golistaspor) June 23, 2026
Lost media: when Cristiano RONALDO visited uzbekistan in 2009 and this little boy started imitating all his 5 star skills, ronaldo was amazed
17 years later, he faced two of the boys he met in 2009: Ashmadov and Khumadov as Portugal face Uzbekistan pic.twitter.com/Hz74nFvHlN
— MatchReport (@MatchReportH) June 23, 2026
In their FIFA World Cup encounter, Ashurmatov started in defence for Uzbekistan, playing the full 90 minutes. Unfortunately, Khamdamov did not get to come off the bench during the game.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo declared “I’m back” and said those “attacking” him should never write him off after making World Cup history in the 5-0 hammering of Uzbekistan on Tuesday in Houston.
The 41-year-old, under pressure to deliver after a barren recent run at major tournaments, pounced after six minutes. He added a second with a smart finish before half-time as Roberto Martinez’s side ran riot against limited opposition.
The five-star display was in stark contrast to a stale 1-1 draw with the Democratic Republic of Congo in which Ronaldo was laboured and largely anonymous.
Ronaldo shouted into a television camera “I’m back, I’m back”, and said after his two-goal display: “I can say it was a very tough week, a difficult week, a week in which public opinion was very harsh on us, on all the players, especially on the coach.
“But it’s always like that, it’s fine because when you think about it, it’s already 23 years I’ve been a professional and whenever things don’t go well it’s, ‘Cristiano, he’s finished, he’s old’.
“But well, it was a good response from me and my teammates, which is what we wanted.”
With AFP inputs