Cristiano Ronaldo's Record: Seven World Cups and Africa's Potential
June 29, 2026 · Global
Paulo Futre reflects on Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring in six different World Cups and highlights the potential of African teams in world football competitions.
When I was 41 years old, I had been retired for ten years, had two children entering adulthood, had served as Atletico Madrid's Sports Director, and remembered my time as a player as if it were a different life. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to score goals in six different World Cups. This is a wonderful thing! As if I played until the 2006 World Cup, scoring goals in every tournament: in Mexico, Italy, the United States, France, Korea-Japan and Germany. It is a matter of pride for all Portuguese to see how he continues to make history. This is something that cannot be repeated.
Allow me to digress from the World Cup, but it's important to talk about it. The Atletico fans not only chose me as one of the 17 people selected for the new Paseo de Las Leyendas, but I was also on the podium, after El Niño and Don Luis Aragonés. This is a great achievement. I was born across the border, but I will always be one of you. I love you with all my heart, colchoneros. Muito obrigado.
I always believed that we would see an African team become world champions. In Qatar, we have seen Morocco reach a historic semifinal. Apart from them, there are now Ghana, Egypt, Ivory Coast… even Senegal, which despite not having a good start, shows that the level of football on this continent, with more and more players in the big leagues, is very high. Warning: straight eliminations against African teams will be very difficult.