World football’s biggest and most prestigious competition, the FIFA World Cup, is now underway, and all eyes are naturally on Cristiano Ronaldo and his nation, Portugal. The former Real Madrid icon has already cemented his legacy as one of the greatest players of all time, and many fans are hoping to see him finally lift the one trophy that has eluded him so far.
The fact that Ronaldo is now 41, means that this is likely his last chance at World Cup glory. This ups the stakes even further.
With plenty of top-quality talent surrounding Ronaldo, Portugal were expected to dominate this summer. However, their tournament did not begin how they would have hoped. They shockingly drew their opening game to DR Congo, which ultimately meant they finished second in Group K.
This set up a mouthwatering clash against Croatia in the Round of 32, as two Real Madrid legends in Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric took the field against each other.
Though Portugal dominated the opening stretch of the game, it was Croatia that took the lead against the run of play, thanks to a smart finish Ivan Perisic. Suddenly, Portugal were staring down the barrel of an early exit. That result was 25 minutes away from materializing when the 2016 Euro champions suddenly got a route back into the game through a penalty.
Naturally, Cristiano Ronaldo was the man that stepped up to take the high-pressure spot kick.
Right before he began his run-up, camera close ups caught him muttering a few words to himself. After attempting to lip-read his words, several fans on social media were convinced that Ronaldo had said “Bismillah”, a popular Arabic phrase that translates to “in the name of God”.
Did Ronaldo recite Bismillāh before taking a penalty for Portugal? pic.twitter.com/t4Nt6WinS4
— • (@Alhamdhulillaah) July 3, 2026
Simply saying “Bismillah”, or more fully “Bismillah ir-Raḥman ir-Raḥim”, means “In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.” It is commonly recited by Muslims before beginning an action of great importance, such as eating, traveling, studying, or starting work.
Therefore, one can argue that the use-case lines up perfectly in this situation, considering how much of an important moment the penalty was in terms of the result of the game and also Portugal’s participation in the World Cup.
As he has often done over the course of his career, Ronaldo ended up coming in clutch for his team once again, levelling the game by slotting the ball right down the middle of the net.
Since moving to Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr in 2023, Ronaldo has shown respect for Islamic culture. Training and playing games with several Muslim teammates, he has learned some Arabic expressions and adapted to local customs.
After taking a look at alternate camera angles, however, other fans have also claimed that Ronaldo was probably saying “Vais Marcar”, which is Portuguese for “you will score”. Considering Portuguese is his native language and therefore the one that perhaps comes most naturally to him, it is quite possible he used this phrase when tensions were at their highest.
Are you?pic.twitter.com/oznzZCgT4J
— 🤍 (@XxOGCringexX) July 3, 2026
While debate and speculation about what Ronaldo actually said will continue to rage on amongst fans, the most important part of the situation was the outcome, and that was as emphatic as usual.
As he has often done over the course of his career, Ronaldo ended up coming in clutch for his team once again, levelling the game by slotting the ball right down the middle of the net. Both sides continued fighting for a winner in the minutes that followed, before super-sub Goncalo Ramos eventually secured the win with a bullet header in injury time.
Though the mood in the Portuguese camp will be one of jubilation after such a hard-fought victory, they cannot afford to spend too much time celebrating. In Round of 16, they are faced with another challenging assignment in the form of reigning Euro champions Spain.
