Ronaldo, 40, refuses to bow to time, he wants to get a World Cup too much

In the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers, the 40-year-old Ronaldo scored twice again, helping the team win 5-0. These two goals have brought his total goals in the history of the World Cup to 38 goals, not only surpassing Messi's 36 goals, but also approaching the 39-goal World Cup record held by Guatemala legendary striker Carlos Ruiz. At this moment, people realized again that even if they were 40 years old, Ronaldo had not compromised with the years, and he was still writing legends with goals.

Carlos Ruiz's record may not have much symbolic significance - although this striker, nicknamed "Little Fish", scored many goals, he never led his motherland Guatemala to the World Cup finals. But for Ronaldo, this has become a new goal at the end of his career, a challenge he doesn't want to miss.

In the next five qualifiers, Portugal will face Hungary, Ireland, Armenia and other comparable opponents. With Ronaldo's current state and goal efficiency, surpassing Ruiz's 39-goal record is almost a foregone conclusion. People are no longer concerned with "can he break the record", but: How far can he go?

But if we only focus on numbers, we miss the real core of Ronaldo's story. When most players of the same age have retired, coached or faded out of football, Ronaldo is still running on the green field with top intensity, as if declaring war on time.

Ronaldo's persistence is in sharp contrast with Messi's choice. After leading Argentina to the World Cup and Copa America, Messi has made it clear that he will withdraw from the national team's future games, leaving suspense for the 2026 World Cup. He chose to retire successfully and turned around gracefully at his peak.

, and Ronaldo is exactly the opposite. When Messi slowly walked off the stage, Ronaldo was still trying hard to catch the spotlight, sprinting again and again and shot with one foot and declared: I am not ready to finish the curtain call.

This is the difference between the two football giants: Messi pursues perfection, while Ronaldo seems to be chasing an unfinished dream forever. He is unwilling to be defined by time, and he is even more unwilling to let history end with regret.

For Ronaldo, the 2026 World Cup qualifiers are not only an opportunity to continue the record, but also the last stage to make up for the biggest shortcomings of his career - his performance in the World Cup is far less dazzling than his qualifiers.

Fifth World Cup, 8 goals were scored, but never scored in the knockout stage. The best memory is still the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup. At the age of 21, he shed tears on the field and watched Portugal stop at the semi-finals. Since then, Portugal only entered the quarterfinals in 2022, and in that event, Ronaldo became a substitute in the key battle and eventually fell in love with his hatred.

Because of this, he could not stop. He not just wants to surpass Ruiz, he doesn't just want to "win" Messi in data. What he really longs for is an opportunity to redefine his World Cup history.

If the 2022 Qatar World Cup is a tragic song, then the 2026 US, Canada and Mexico World Cup may be the final chapter he wrote for himself. What he wants is not only a competition, but also a breakthrough - even if he just scores a goal in the knockout round, it is enough to make this legend more complete.

Of course, a 40-year-old body cannot deceive time forever. The decline in physical fitness, the risk of injury, and the fluctuations in status are all unavoidable reality. But the terrible thing about Ronaldo is that he never accepts "taken for granted".

Every sprint, every shot, he is passing the same message: the will can challenge time.

And if fate favors him, in his last World Cup journey, he can score the coveted knockout goal and even lead Portugal further - it will be a more moving ending than any record.