Zlatan Ibrahimovic has mocked Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal captain declared “I am back” following his brace in the country’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan at the 2026 World Cup.
Ronaldo delivered the message into a camera after helping Portugal secure their first win of the tournament in the Group K clash.
The 41-year-old had failed to score in Portugal’s opening 1-1 draw against DR Congo, but responded with two goals against Uzbekistan to continue his historic World Cup scoring run.
Ibrahimovic, speaking as a pundit on Fox Sports, questioned Ronaldo’s declaration and suggested the forward had never gone away.
“It was a game to score. It was a game for Portugal to score a lot of goals. And regarding his message, I thought he never left. I don’t know why he says ‘I’m back,’” Ibrahimovic said.
Ronaldo opened the scoring in the sixth minute after connecting with a Joao Cancelo cross before adding his second in the 39th minute from a Bruno Fernandes pass.
The brace made him the second-oldest scorer in World Cup history at the age of 41, behind only Roger Milla, who scored at 42 in 1994.
It also ensured Ronaldo became the only player to score in six different editions of the World Cup, stretching back to his debut in 2006.
After the match, Ronaldo was also asked about the possibility of facing Lionel Messi and Argentina in the knockout stage.
“I don’t know how to answer that. But, well, it would be awesome. The most important thing was winning today and we did it,” he said.
