Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first player ever to score at five separate World Cups with his goal against Ghana for Portugal in Qatar.
The 37-year-old has scored at every staging of the tournament since making his debut in the 2006 edition in Germany.
And he made more personal history when he get on the scoresheet as Portugal bid for glory in Qatar.
Ronaldo got his chance when he went down under defender Mohammed Salisu's challenge just after the hour mark, and the referee pointed to the spot.
And there was no mistake from Ronaldo, who smashed international goal number 118 past Lawrence Ati-Zigi to put himself in the record books.
MORE: All time international goalscorers: Where does Ronaldo rank on the list?
Ronaldo's World Cup goals
Ronaldo has only once scored multiple goals at a single World Cup, doing so last time out when Russia were the hosts.
He is also yet to net in the knockout stages of the tournament, with all seven of his strikes coming in the group stages.
| Host | Date | Stage | Opponent |
| Germany | June 17, 2006 | Group stage | Iran |
| South Africa | June 21, 2010 | Group stage | North Korea |
| Brazil | June 26, 2014 | Group stage | Ghana |
| Russia | June 15, 2018 | Group stage | Spain |
| Russia | June 15, 2018 | Group stage | Spain |
| Russia | June 15, 2018 | Group stage | Spain |
| Russia | June 20, 2018 | Group stage | Morocco |
| Qatar | November 24, 2022 | Group stage | Ghana |
RONALDO MAKES HISTORY
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 24, 2022
With this goal, he becomes the first men's player to score in five different FIFA World Cup tournaments 🔥🇵🇹 pic.twitter.com/PxWP4Z5z8o
More: Ronaldo versus Messi at the World Cup — who is the GOAT?
Ronaldo at the World Cup
Although he won Euro 2016 with Portugal, Ronaldo has also endured a World Cup career well short of the spectacular standards he has set in club competitions.
Ronaldo has scored at every World Cup he has been involved in, but his overall scoring record at the finals is modest: eight goals in 18 appearances.
The closest Ronaldo has come to World Cup glory was in his first involvement in the tournament in 2006, when Portugal lost to France in the semifinals in Germany.
Since then, Portugal have underperformed — and they will be hoping for more in Qatar after reaching the finals courtesy of playoff victories over Turkey and North Macedonia.
| World Cup | Stage Eliminated | Games | Goals |
| 2006 | Semifinals | 6 | 1 |
| 2010 | Round of 16 | 4 | 1 |
| 2014 | Group stages | 3 | 1 |
| 2018 | Round of 16 | 4 | 4 |
| 2022 | — | 2 | 1 |
More: Complete list of players to score most goals at World Cups
Who else has scored in four finals?
Ronaldo is the only player to have scored at five separate World Cup finals, but there are other players who have scored in four.
The Portuguese's eternal rival Lionel Messi is, of course, on that list but it remains an exclusive club.
| Player | WC apps | WC goals | WCs scored at |
| Pele | 14 | 12 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| Uwe Seeler | 21 | 9 | 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 |
| Miroslav Klose | 24 | 16 | 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, |
| Lionel Messi | 22 | 7 | 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 |