Diogo Dalot sent a message to Cristiano Ronaldo after the former Manchester United forward scored a brace for Portugal. The 41-year-old, who left United for a second time in December 2022, opened his 2026 World Cup account by netting twice during Portugal's thumping 5-0 win against Uzbekistan on Tuesday.
Ronaldo's Record-Breaking Achievement
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo had been under some pressure going into Portugal's second Group L game, after struggling in the 1-1 draw against DR Congo and watching his long-time rival Lionel Messi bag five goals in two matches for Argentina at the start of the tournament. But Ronaldo responded with a determined and inspired performance to help Portugal record their first win at this summer's World Cup and all-but secure qualification for the round of 32.
His first goal was an impressive finish, as he manoeuvred some space inside the box before smashing the ball home first time following a square ball from Joao Cancelo. After Nuno Mendes made it 2-0, Ronaldo added his second just before half-time, getting on the end of Bruno Fernandes' perfectly-weighted pass before slotting into the bottom corner. Abduvakhid Nematov's own-goal made it 4-0 to Portugal on the hour mark before Rafael Leao tucked home his nation's fifth to ensure their third biggest ever win at a World Cup tournament.
Dalot's Message and Ronaldo's Reaction
After Ronaldo was awarded the Player of the Match prize, his ex-United teammate Dalot sent him a message on Instagram. Alongside a photo of Ronaldo sitting in the dressing room, Dalot, who played alongside Ronaldo at United for almost 18 months, said in a caption: "Smiling like a kid [two laughing face emojis]."
Speaking post-Uzbekistan, Ronaldo admitted it was a "dark week" for him leading up to Portugal's second group game, but believes he is "back" after finding the net twice. "I'm back, I'm back," Ronaldo said. "It's always nice to break records, but my goal is to help the national team achieve its objectives." He added: "It was a difficult week, a dark week. It seemed like I was already retired from football. But I held on, as always, because I believe more in hard work than in anything else. It was hard, I have to admit it, but we're back."
