England enter World Cup fray as Ronaldo makes history bid

LOS ANGELES: England begin their bid to end a 60-year wait for a trophy when they take on Croatia in their World Cup opener on Wednesday, while Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in a record-equalling sixth tournament.

Portuguese great Ronaldo, 41, has a tough act to follow after his old nemesis Lionel Messi scored a spectacular hattrick for Argentina on Tuesday to equal the all-time World Cup goalscoring record, making a mockery of his 38 years.

Between them, Ronaldo and Messi have won the Ballon d’Or award for the world’s best player 13 times.

Ronaldo is expected to start against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston, captaining a richly talented Portugal squad that are trying to win football’s biggest prize for the first time.

One of that squad is pivotal midfielder Bernardo Silva, who signed for Real Madrid on a two-year deal on Wednesday, a month after his contract with Manchester City expired.

England skipper Harry Kane, meanwhile, urged his England teammates to “go for it” and be “free in the mind” when they take on the beaten 2018 finalists Croatia in the vast AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Kane’s team are among the favourites for the World Cup after a string of near-misses at recent tournaments but history weighs heavy on a side who last won football’s biggest prize on home soil in 1966.

“For sure it’s one of the best opportunities we will have as a team to win it,” Kane said on Tuesday.

“I think everyone is eager to just start well tomorrow and prove that we have the capabilities of going far in this tournament.

“Ultimately, for me, the message is just to be free in the mind.”

In other games on Wednesday, Ghana face Panama in Toronto in England’s Group L before first-time qualifiers Uzbekistan tackle Colombia at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City in Group K.

Messi magic

On an extraordinary day on Tuesday, Messi started his 200th international appearance by claiming a piece of history, becoming the first man to play in six World Cups as he led Argentina onto the field at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium – a record that Ronaldo should equal on Wednesday.

It marked exactly 20 years since Messi’s first appearance at a World Cup.

He stamped his class on proceedings with a memorable treble – the first of his World Cup career.

A 17th minute curling strike took his World Cup goals tally to 14, putting him alongside German legend Gerd Mueller and France superstar Kylian Mbappe in the all-time rankings.

He moved one clear of Mueller and Mbappe to join Brazilian great Ronaldo on 15 goals in the 60th minute after pouncing on a rebound to make it 2-0.

In the 76th minute, he swept in a low finish from the edge of the area to go level with former Germany forward Miroslav Klose on 16 goals before departing to a standing ovation from an adoring crowd.

Argentina defeated France in an epic 2022 World Cup final in Doha, winning on penalties after a 3-3 draw that saw Les Bleus striker Mbappe score a hat-trick.

France – who could meet Argentina in the final again this year if seedings follow the form book – launched their tournament on Tuesday with a 3-1 defeat of Senegal, with Mbappe scoring twice to suggest he is more than ready to deliver another big World Cup.