After a 1-1 draw against DR Congo at the start of the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, Portugal was already under pressure—and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo came under scrutiny. That changed on Tuesday evening: Portugal swept Uzbekistan off the pitch with a 5-0 victory, with CR scoring twice. For his subsequent reaction, the offensive star faced ridicule from another legend.

The press mocked him, the manager backed him: After Portugal's weak World Cup start, Cristiano Ronaldo was certainly not in the mood to laugh, but on Tuesday the 41-year-old fired back at his critics with a brace. Ronaldo's reaction also showed how great the relief was.

The veteran addressed the press after his stellar performance, stating that they were back and that he was back. He emphasized that he had been this way for 23 years and wanted to make sure nobody forgot that. He admitted it had been difficult, but he had persevered as he always does. The striker stressed that he had felt during the dark recent days as though he had already ended his football career.

These comments drew little understanding from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, another football icon.

Ibrahimovic told Fox Sports that he was somewhat confused when he heard this. He questioned where exactly Ronaldo had been, noting that Cristiano was never away from the spotlight for a single day. He remarked that when someone scores two goals and says "I'm back," it sounds as though they had disappeared for ten years and suddenly arrived from another planet.

"...as if the sun were announcing its tomorrow's sunrise"

The Swede continued, explaining that Ronaldo had been playing the whole time, scoring goals, breaking records and making headlines. He said that's why he had to laugh. The football world talks about him every week, defenders still fear him, and stadiums are still full when he wants to play. According to Ibrahimovic, that doesn't sound like someone who was away.

Ibrahimovic offered an explanation for CR7 but heavily qualified it. He suggested that perhaps Ronaldo simply meant he was back and wanted to silence his critics. If that was the case, Ibrahimovic said it was fine. However, he compared Cristiano Ronaldo's comeback announcement to the sun announcing its tomorrow's sunrise. He noted that players spend their entire careers trying to achieve relevance. Even on quiet days, more is said about Ronaldo than about most other footballers. So when he heard "I'm back," Ibrahimovic concluded that Ronaldo was never gone. He finished by saying that all others are still trying to catch up.