Cristiano Ronaldo stars at World Cup 2026 as FIFA rolls out veteran legacy stickers

Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup 2026 legacy sticker veteran players Panini update

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in the 5‑0 win over Uzbekistan at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, becoming the oldest Portuguese scorer and the first player to net goals in six different tournaments. His performance followed a lukewarm debut against the Democratic Republic of Congo and sparked a brief online dispute when former star Zlatan Ibrahimović, appearing as a Fox Sports analyst, questioned Ronaldo’s “I’m back” celebration.

FIFA introduced a new “Legacy” patch for players who have appeared in at least five World Cups. The patch is awarded to veterans such as Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Germany’s Manuel Neuer and Japan’s Yuto Nagatomo. The patch appears on the sleeves just below the tournament logo and will be removed after each match for collection purposes.

Panini released an “Update Set” of 120 stickers to bring its album in line with the official squad lists. The set adds 118 new player stickers, including Germany’s Manuel Neuer and Deniz Undav, Brazil’s Neymar and other recent call‑ups, while also correcting earlier mismatches between the Panini album and the actual team rosters.