Cristiano Ronaldo continues to defy age and rewrite history at the 2026 World Cup, setting multiple records during Portugal's round-of-32 victory over Croatia.

At 41 years and 147 days old, Ronaldo became the oldest player ever to feature in a World Cup knockout-stage match. He later added another milestone, converting a penalty in the 68th minute to become the oldest goalscorer in World Cup knockout history—marking his first-ever goal in the knockout rounds of the tournament.

Thursday's appearance was Ronaldo's 26th World Cup match, moving him within one of Lothar Matthäus (27) for the second-most appearances in tournament history. Argentina's Lionel Messi leads the list with 29.

Prior to this victory, Ronaldo had managed only one knockout-stage win since Portugal's fourth-place finish in 2006. His penalty leveled the match against Croatia, setting the stage for Gonçalo Ramos to score a dramatic stoppage-time winner four minutes into added time.

Ronaldo wasn't the only veteran on the pitch. Luka Modrić started and captained Croatia at 40 years and 296 days old, making this the first World Cup match ever to feature two outfield players over 40 competing against each other.