Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand wasted no time in reacting to Cristiano Ronaldo’s impact for Portugal in the 2-1 Nations League win over Scotland.
Cristiano Ronaldo has linked up with former Manchester United teammates Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes for the September international break.
The 39-year-old Portuguese forward started the 2-1 win over Croatia last week in Portugal’s opening Nations League match at the Estadio do Benfica in Lisbon.
Ronaldo made his mark against Croatia by netting in the first half, with the United legend reaching a milestone goalscoring tally of 900 across his prolific career.
Despite his impact in Portugal’s Nations League opener, Ronaldo had to settle for a place on the bench for the Scotland match at the Estadio do Benfica on Sunday.
Former United star Scott McTominay, who signed for Serie A side Napoli in the summer, fired Scotland into a shock 1-0 lead over Portugal inside 10 minutes.
However, Portugal rallied back into the contest in the second half after Bruno Fernandes cancelled out Scott McTominay’s first-half opener for Scotland.
Ferdinand reacts to Man Utd legend Ronaldo
Pedro Neto was pulled after the first 45 minutes for Portugal and Roberto Martinez introduced Cristiano Ronaldo in his place for the second half.
Ronaldo ensured that Portugal made it two wins in two in their Nations League campaign after he broke the deadlock in the 88th minute at the Estadio do Benfica.
The former Manchester United superstar ruled out retirement from international duty after a disappointing campaign with Portugal at Euro 2024 in Germany.
Ronaldo played at his 11th major international tournament with Portugal and his sixth European Championship overall, but he failed to score once at Euro 2024.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is tipped to play for Portugal at the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in North America, before retiring from international duty.
Ronaldo took to Instagram after the Scotland match and sent a heartfelt message to Portugal fans over their support during the international break.
“Two games, two wins,” he wrote, before adding: “Thank you for all the support, Portugal!”
Rio Ferdinand was spotted in the comments of Ronaldo’s post and the United legend made a reference to the Portugal captain extending his goalscoring tally.
“901 Not Out [sic],” he wrote.
Martinez praises ‘incredible’ Ronaldo
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez waxed lyrical about Ronaldo’s form for the last two matches and hailed the influence of the ex-Real Madrid and Juventus forward.
“Cristiano is in good form,” he said, as per TNT Sports.
“He’s played three matches and scored with his club. We have to protect all the players.
“He can’t play two consecutive matches of 90 minutes. He has to be there for the end of the match, not the start. I like his commitment.”
Martinez added: “Dependent on Ronaldo? He’s an incredible player. It’s not dependence, he’s an asset.
“In front of goal, he’s crucial. His intelligence to open spaces is important. Speaking of dependence doesn’t make sense.”
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