Cristiano Ronaldo's Final World Cup Is Already Off to a Rocky Start

He has waited his entire career for this moment. Now, at 41, Cristiano Ronaldo is playing in his sixth and final FIFA World Cup — and after one match, the trophy that has always eluded him looks no closer.

Portugal was held to a 1-1 draw by DR Congo on Wednesday in Houston, a result that left Ronaldo frustrated, goalless, and watching Lionel Messi celebrate a hat-trick from the previous day on the other side of the bracket. The curtain-raiser on his last chance at soccer's ultimate prize could not have gone much worse.

The Match That Summed Up the Problem

Portugal dominated possession through much of the Group K opener at NRG Stadium, finishing the first half with 80% of the ball. It did not matter. João Neves gave Portugal the lead in the sixth minute with a header from a Pedro Neto cross, but DR Congo equalized in first-half stoppage time when Yoane Wissa reacted quickest inside the area and fired past goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

For Ronaldo, the game was a portrait in frustration. He had two clear chances to put the match away in the final 20 minutes. On the first, he received a pass from Francisco Conceição and sent the ball wide. Minutes later, Conceição found him again in almost identical fashion — and again, the ball went wide of the post. The go-ahead goal Portugal needed never arrived.

Ronaldo became the oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match, surpassing the record set by Canada's Atiba Hutchinson four years ago in Qatar. It was, in many ways, the perfect encapsulation of what makes this tournament such a complicated story: a man still remarkable enough to be here at 41, still unable to find the net when it matters most.

The Trophy That Got Away

Ronaldo has been to five World Cups and never won one. He made his debut in 2006 in Germany at 21, helping Portugal to a fourth-place finish. His most memorable tournament came in 2018 in Russia, where he scored a hat-trick against Spain — though Portugal went out in the Round of 16. In Qatar in 2022, his only goal came from the penalty spot, and he was dropped for Portugal's Round of 16 match against Switzerland — his first non-start at a major tournament in 14 years.

Across six World Cup tournaments, Ronaldo has now played 23 matches, scoring eight goals. None of those goals have come in knockout rounds. The World Cup remains the only major honor missing from a career that includes five UEFA Champions League titles, the UEFA European Championship with Portugal in 2016, and a record five Ballon d'Or awards.

Messi's Shadow Looms

The contrast with his great rival has never been sharper. While Ronaldo was fluffing chances in Houston on Wednesday, Messi — playing in what many expect to also be his final World Cup — had scored a hat-trick the previous day for Argentina against Algeria in a dominant opening win. The two men have spent two decades in parallel, but heading into these tournaments, their arcs could not be more different. Messi already has the 2022 World Cup title. Ronaldo still does not.

A Team in Mourning, Too

Portugal arrived in North America carrying grief as well as expectation. Diogo Jota, a beloved member of the squad who died alongside his brother in a car crash last summer shortly after helping Portugal win the UEFA Nations League, was honored before kickoff. Portugal players wore wristbands given to them by Prime Minister Luís Montenegro in Jota's memory. His parents attended the match in a hospitality suite at NRG Stadium.

The absence of Jota, who would have been 29 this summer, hangs over the entire tournament for this Portugal side.

What Comes Next

Portugal remain in a strong position to advance from Group K despite the draw. Their remaining group matches come against Uzbekistan and Colombia, and most analysts still expect them to reach the knockout rounds. But for Ronaldo, the clock is ticking in a way it never has before. He has said this is his final World Cup. He has eight goals in five tournaments and none in the knockout stage. He is 41 years old.

The dream is still alive. But after Wednesday in Houston, it looks harder than ever.

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