Cristiano Ronaldo declined to engage in a discussion about Lionel Messi’s latest World Cup achievement when reporters raised the subject following Portugal’s emphatic victory over Uzbekistan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Messi recently etched his name into football history by surpassing Miroslav Klose’s long-standing World Cup scoring record, moving to 18 goals after finding the net twice against Austria.

However, when a journalist attempted to bring up Messi’s accomplishment during Ronaldo’s post-match media session, the Portuguese captain showed little interest in commenting and immediately cut the question short.

As the reporter began mentioning Messi, Ronaldo responded: “Next question.”

The moment came shortly after Ronaldo produced a standout display in Portugal’s 5-0 triumph over Uzbekistan, scoring twice and becoming the first footballer to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Despite avoiding a direct discussion about Messi’s new record, Ronaldo later acknowledged that a potential meeting between Portugal and Argentina at the tournament would be exciting, describing it as “would be awesome.”