Cristiano Ronaldo cautioned doubters not to underestimate him, after scoring a brace in Portugal's commanding 5-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Houston.
Ronaldo proclaimed, "I'm back, I'm back," into television cameras after finally making his mark at the World Cup.
The 41-year-old Al-Nassr star said post-game that he had been eager to silence skeptics, following a "dark week" after being invisible in his opening match against DR Congo.
Ronaldo accused critics of retiring him from the game. When questioned about his defiant outburst to the cameras, Ronaldo responded, via The Mirror: "Just so you don't forget. Just so you don't forget.
"It was a difficult, dark week. It felt like I was already retired from football, but I held on as I always do because I believe more in hard work than in football. It was difficult, I have to confess, but we're back."
Ronaldo's strikes made him the first player to find the net in six World Cups. He also became the second-oldest goalscorer in tournament history - behind Roger Milla - while surpassing Eusebio as Portugal's all-time top scorer at the finals.
Ronaldo, who rejected claims of division within the squad, continued: "I'm very happy, but for me the most important thing is the work the team did, the confidence we had. We took a lot of hits during the week, we knew that would happen. But the team worked very well, we improved a lot.
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"Bad things can turn out good, as they say. Speaking for myself, it's always nice to break records, but my goal is to help the national team achieve its objectives.
"In this regard, it was to get through the qualifying round. With four points I think we've already done it."
Source: Alloutsoccer.com
