DR Congo fans made Lionel Messi chants to Cristiano Ronaldo as Portugal were held to a 1-1 draw in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group K opener on Wednesday (June 17) in Houston.
Playing a 12th straight major tournament – including a record-equalling sixth World Cup – Ronaldo cut a largely isolated fiigure up front, managing two shots off target after the break and just 25 touches.
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Coming off scoreless outings in the 2-1 pre-World Cup friendly wins over Chile and Nigeria, Ronaldo is scoreless in 10 games at a major tournament, including Euro 2024, where Roberto Martinez’s side lost to France on penalties in the quarter-finals.
Contrast that with Messi – who a day earlier scored all three goals in holders Argentina’s 3-0 victory over Algeria – to go level with Miroslav Klose (16) atop the World Cup’s all-time scoring charts.
Congo fans took a jibe at Ronaldo with Messi chants, as tweeted by 433:
The incident happened after full-time as Ronaldo walked off the tunnel after acknowledging fans for their support.
Roberto Martinez’s side next take on World Cup debutants Uzbekistan on Monday (June 22).
How Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fared at the last FIFA World Cup?
The legendary Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi experienced contrasting FIFA World Cup campaigns during the competition’s previous edition in Qatar four years ago.
Ronaldo scored in the opening game but would go scoreless in the next two group games, with then boss Fernando Santos benching the striker for the Round of 16 and quarter-finals, where Portugal lost 1-0 to Morocco.
Meanwhie, Mesis enjoyed a campaign for the ages, ending with seven goals and three assists in seven games as Argentina won their third World Cup. He scored in every knockout match, including twice in the shootout win over holders France, also netting in the ensuing shootout, to win a record second Golden Ball.
Fast forward four years, Messi’s three-goal effort against Algeria made the 38-year-old the oldest hat-trick scorer in FIFA World Cup history, breaking Ronaldo (33)’s record set eight years ago in Russia.
Edited by Bhargav
