Cristiano Ronaldo has entered the chat. In the week Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland raced off in pursuit of the World Cup’s Golden Boot, the player to have scored more goals than anyone alive finally turned up in North America. This game felt less about football and more about one man’s quest to justify his existence. Ronaldo scored two goals and his sheer aura created another as – sidenote – Portugal beat Uzbekistan 5-0 to assert themselves in Group K.
The power of Ronaldo’s celebrity showed itself before the game had even begun. As the crowd counted down the seconds to kick-off inside this hulking metallic stadium in Houston, Uzbekistan's Aziz Ganiev took his chance, leaning over the halfway line to lay hands on the great man, who responded with a hug.
