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Cristiano Ronaldo ran to the corner flag and celebrated exuberantly in front of the adoring crowd at Lusail Stadium. The Portugal star had scored a crucial goal against Uruguay to unlock a drab 0-0 World Cup group match on Monday night.
There was only one problem: Ronaldo didn’t score.
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Or did he?
Ronaldo hugged his team-mates, his smile grew larger. He, seemingly, knew the truth.
He turned and pumped his fists towards the Portugal fans in the stands, then, as he chatted with his team-mates while walking back onto the pitch for the restart, he gave a couple of shrugs (below). Was he indicating that maybe he wasn’t sure whether he had gotten his head on Bruno Fernandes’ floating ball into the box? Or was he simply expressing his uncertainty over whether to have grilled chicken or poached fish as his post-match meal?
But on his way back to the centre circle, he got Iranian referee Alireza Faghani’s attention. He wagged his finger, the universal sign for “no,” then gave the referee the thumbs up — “Goal?”, Ronaldo asked.
The ref confirmed the goal. Ronaldo raised both arms, flexed his biceps and bellowed triumphantly.
It appeared the 37-year-old Portugal captain had scored his ninth career World Cup finals goal, matching Portuguese legend Eusebio’s total and writing his name in the history books yet again. His penalty in Portugal’s first match of this tournament, a 3-2 win over Ghana, made him the first player to score in five men’s World Cups. You don’t compile a scoring record like his without always wanting more.
Replays of the goal were shown on the stadium’s big screen and on the small monitors in the press box.
Reporters there raised their eyebrows and discussed the play among themselves. The crowd ahhhh’d as doubt began to creep in. Maybe, just maybe, Fernandes’ delivery had not made contact with Ronaldo’s head after all.
Another angle: Head and ball are immediately adjacent but…(Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
Minutes later, Fernandes’ picture flashed on the stadium’s big screen with the word “GOAL” next to his headshot. Not Ronaldo’s. The now-clubless Ronaldo had celebrated a phantom goal. When he realised it had been credited to Fernandes, he could only laugh.
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Portugal coach Fernando Santos replaced Ronaldo with 21-year-old Goncalo Ramos in the 82nd minute, as Uruguay pushed for an equaliser. The sea of red that had taken over Lusail Stadium applauded as he came off the pitch. He hadn’t scored — at least, not officially — but Ronaldo had done enough to impress his loyal admirers.
Seven minutes later, Portugal were awarded a penalty after VAR ruled Uruguay’s Jose Maria Gimenez had handled the ball inside the box. Surely Ronaldo would’ve taken it had he still been on the pitch. Instead, Fernandes scored from the spot to complete his brace and propel Portugal into the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Again, Ronaldo could only smile as Fernandes celebrated another goal that could have been his.
Ronaldo was loving it from the sidelines 🇵🇹🎉 pic.twitter.com/dUTefYp4Wm
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 28, 2022
"He's destined for Hollywood if he didn't touch it!" 🎭
Did he or did he not? That is the question! 🤔#ITVFootball | #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/K8CNmwNGGA
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) November 28, 2022
Ronaldo will have to wait until Portugal’s final group match against South Korea on Friday to increase his goal tally in this World Cup, but with two wins in their first two matches, Portugal are at least now guaranteed a place in next week’s round of 16.
Even after the final whistle on Monday, the debate over that first goal continued. The doubts lingered. Had it grazed just a strand of his perfectly coiffed hair? Did the sheer power of his superstar aura propel the ball into the net? Does one actually have to physically touch the ball to score a goal? Do we even truly exist?
After the match, Ronaldo did not talk to the press, and yet to nobody’s surprise, he was still the centre of attention: did he score or not?
“I don’t think it really matters who scored the goal at this point,” said Fernandes, who received man of the match honours on the night. “The feeling I had was Cristiano touched the ball, I was putting the ball to him and the important thing is we were able to win the match against a very tough opponent.”
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In the mixed zone — the place in the stadium where reporters from all over the world converge after a game to (try to) speak to players — I asked Portugal midfielder William Carvalho if he believed Ronaldo had scored. Carvalho paused, then smiled.
“Yes, my first impression was that it had been a Ronaldo goal, but what’s important is the victory. It doesn’t matter if it was Bruno or Ronaldo. We played a great game and we have to continue like that.”
After answering several questions about the match, Portugal goalkeeper Diego Costa was scurried away by the team’s press officer. “Did you think Ronaldo scored?” I asked him. Costa smiled, pointed at the press officer, then shook his head apologetically without saying a word.
When I posed the same question to Ronaldo’s now former Manchester United team-mate Diogo Dalot, he gave me the thumbs up, winked at me and kept walking.
Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves told me that he “hadn’t seen the image” when I asked him if he believed Ronaldo had scored the opener. Neves, who limped into the mixed zone, spoke to Ronaldo in the dressing room and told us what was said.
“(Ronaldo) said he didn’t know,” Neves revealed. “But the most important is not who scored the goal. The most important is that it was a goal for Portugal and we won the game.”
These guys were good.
I wasn’t in the press conference room, but apparently I wasn’t the only reporter seeking the truth.
“Does it matter who scored the first one?” Portugal manager Fernando Santos asked, as he laughed heartily, almost taunting those desperate to know. “I think it was a great match. Our team played very well and the rest, for me, does not matter.”
The audacity!
Suddenly, there was a bit of a commotion in the mixed zone. Several FIFA representatives stood together behind the waist-high barrier and prepared to usher in a new player.
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They yelled “English! English!”, which meant the player who was coming would take questions in that language only. The reporters in the room raced to that corner and waited. We were all scrunched together. I could feel a colleague’s warm breath on the back of my neck. I couldn’t move.
Was it Ronaldo? Had he decided to speak?
Alas, it was Bernardo Silva. The Manchester City playmaker had shown his class against Uruguay.
“I’m very happy, very happy,” Bernardo said, “because it’s not easy to come and play a World Cup against the best teams. Uruguay is a very competitive team, very defensive and at the same time wanting to counter-attack and being aggressive in those situations. I think the reaction of the team was very good, especially in the second half.”
Yeah, yeah, yeah — whatever.
One reporter shouted, “Who scored the goal?” and Bernardo smiled. Portugal’s press officer, annoyed, responded, “Hey, he’s not a referee. He’s not a referee.” More questions were shouted. “What’s your next goal after this qualification?”, “Are Portugal one of the favourites to win the World Cup?”
“One of the favourites?” Bernardo said. “We’re in the fight to win it like many other teams, but we’re going to try.”
We were again veering off track! “Did you think Ronaldo had scored?” I asked. Bernardo smiled and began to answer, but the press officer tapped him on the arm to let him know that it was time to go.
As the crowd dispersed and Bernardo was rushed off, I managed to meet him before he rounded the corner that leads to the player exit. He had the answer — he knew the truth. I had to know. This was it.
“What were you going to say, Bernardo? Did it look like Ronaldo scored from your vantage point?,” I asked, searching his face for any clues as to what he might say.
“I have no idea,” he said. “You guys have to check the images and then tell us.”
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Well, Bernardo. I’ve checked the video. I’ve checked and rechecked and checked again. And I can tell you this:
Ronaldo did not score on Monday night.
And then, more than 12 hours after the game finished, the clever detectives at Adidas told us all what we thought we already know. My hunch was right — no touch.
“Using the Connected Ball Technology housed in Adidas’s Al Rihla Official Match Ball, we are able to definitively show no contact on the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo for the opening goal in the game,” Adidas announced. “No external force on the ball could be measured, as shown by the lack of ‘heartbeat’ in our measurements. The 500Hz IMU sensor inside the ball allows us to be highly accurate in our analysis.”
So now we all know for certain. But I’m sure Cristiano knew all along, despite his fine acting skills.
GO DEEPER
Every World Cup question you’ve been too afraid to ask
(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images))
