Cristiano Ronaldo wears special World Cup patch given to exclusive group of players during Portugal v DR Congo

Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Lionel Messi and an exclusive list of players to wear a special World Cup patch given to celebrate an impressive feat.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, football legend Messi ensured that Argentina had a dream start to defending their status of World Champions by scoring a hat trick in their 2026 World Cup opener.

With his first-ever hat trick in the competition, the 38-year-old's goals moved him level with Miroslav Klose as the highest scorer in World Cup history.

In doing so, Messi also passed fierce rival Ronaldo as the oldest player to score a hat trick in a World Cup match, with the Portugal striker doing so vs Spain in 2018 at 33 years old

Therefore, all eyes turned to the Houston Stadium as Ronaldo no doubt would look to reclaim his record during his nation's first game at the 2026 World Cup as Portugal face the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

And any eagle-eyed fan watching Ronaldo in action against DR Congo may notice that he is wearing a slightly different kit to the rest of his teammates as he has been honoured with a special patch worn by just five players in World Cup history.

Known as the FIFA World Cup Legacy patch, the commemorative patch is awarded to players making their fifth or more World Cup appearance, a remarkable achievement that not many have been able to do.

At the 2026 World Cup, Ronaldo is one of just five players who will be wearing the patch, with this year being the 41-year-old's sixth World Cup (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026).

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Like Ronaldo, Messi also wore the patch during Argentina's opener against Algeria, having also played in the same six World Cups that his rival played in.

Japan's veteran defender Yūto Nagatomo and Germany captain Manuel Neuer also wore the patch during their sides opening fixtures against The Netherlands and Curaçao

Meanwhile Luka Modric will wear the patch as he competes in his fifth World Cup when Croatia kick off against England on Wednesday night at the Dallas Stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo wore the World Cup legacy patch during Portugal vs DR Congo. (Image: Getty Images)

Which players have appeared in five or more World Cups?

Across the history of the World Cup, only eight players have appeared in at least five World Cups, with Modric expected to become the ninth during Croatia's match against England.

They are:

• Lionel Messi
• Cristiano Ronaldo
• Antonio Carbajal
• Andrés Guardado
• Rafael Márquez
• Lothar Matthäus
• Manuel Neuer
• Yūto Nagatomo
• Luka Modrić (subject to him featuring in the 2026 World Cup)

However, only those appearing in the 2026 World Cup will have the honour of wearing the special legacy patch, which was introduced this year alongside several other special patches and did not exist in previous World Cups.

Several other players have been named in the squads of five or more World Cups, including Mexico legend Guillermo Ochoa who even made it into the 2026 squad, but they haven't appeared in at least five of the tournaments.