Cristiano Ronaldo launches into World Cup accusations after ending 'dark week'

Cristiano Ronaldo warned critics to write him off at their peril, after scoring twice to help Portugal thrash Uzbekistan 5-0 in Houston. Ronaldo shouted "I'm back, I’m back" into TV cameras after finally joining the World Cup party. And the 41-year-old icon revealed he had been desperate to prove people wrong - following a "dark week" in the wake of being anonymous in his opening game against DR Congo . Ronaldo accused critics of retiring him from the game.

And when asked why he had shouted defiance into the cameras, Ronaldo said: "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 goals made him the first player to score in six World Cups. He also became the second oldest scorer in tournament history - after Roger Milla - while overtaking Eusebio as Portugal's all-time leading scorer at the finals. Ronaldo, who dismissed reports of a split in the camp, added: "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. "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." Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now! Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.

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