Cristiano Ronaldo’s inclusion in Portugal’s starting lineup for its round-of-32 match against Croatia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup allowed him to make more history.
At 41 years and 147 days old, the Portugal star became the oldest player to ever play in a World Cup knockout-stage match on Thursday. It’s also Ronaldo’s 26th World Cup match, moving him one behind ex-Germany midfielder Lothar Matthäus for the second-most matches played by a player at the World Cup. Argentina star Lionel Messi holds the record at 29.
Ronaldo, who has the most international goals scored by any men’s player, is still seeking to score his first goal in the knockout stage of the World Cup in his career. However, Ronaldo’s 29 shot attempts in eight knockout stage matches are tied for the fourth-most by any player since 1966.
Ronaldo also has only one win in the World Cup’s knockout stage since he helped Portugal finish in fourth place at the 2006 World Cup.
Thursday’s match could also serve as the final match of Ronaldo’s international career. There have been several rumors that Ronaldo will retire from international play following the 2026 World Cup. He’s still under contract with Al Nassr through the 2026-27 season.
Ronaldo wasn’t the only star in his 40s who played in Thursday’s Portugal-Croatia match. Luka Modrić started and captained Croatia on Thursday, at 40 years and 296 days old. As such, it marked the first World Cup match ever to feature two outfield players over the age of 40 playing against each other.
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