Cristiano Ronaldo nicknames Portugal teammate 'little pitbull' after heroic display in 4-0 Czech Republic win
Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has given teammate Diogo Dalot a brilliant nickname following his performance in the side's 4-0 thrashing of the Czech Republic on September 24.
Dalot put in a man-of-the-match performance with a double as Fernando Santos' men romped to victory at the Sinobo Stadium in Prague.
The Manchester United right-back first found the net in the 33rd minute, getting on the end of Rafael Leao's wicked cross.
Dalot then scored an audacious strike from outside the box with his weaker foot in the 52nd minute.
The Red Devils man was tenacious throughout and posted an Instagram video of his performance:
Cristiano Ronaldo responded to the post with a comment saying 'Piteusinho goleador' which translates to:
"Little pitbull."
Dalot has impressed at the start of the new season for both club and country, having become Erik ten Hag's first-choice right-back at Old Trafford.
The Portuguese defender has made eight appearances for United, contributing two assists.
Dalot now has six international caps to his name and took his tally to two goals in the win over the Czechs.
A Selecao's next encounter in the UEFA Nations League is with Spain, with the two sides separating by just two points in League 1 Group B.
The win over the Czech Republic saw Portugal overtake Spain, who suffered a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland on the same night.
Cristiano Ronaldo and co will be keen to end the campaign with a win to secure qualification into the last four, with it being the last match before the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo always turns towards the Portugal flag when he sings the national anthem.
Passion 🇵🇹 https://t.co/JWk2WgpFiy
Dalot lauds 'machine' Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo vowed to be part of his nation's squad for the European Championships in 2024 this past week.
The extraordinary career of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner shows no signs of stopping and Dalot has lauded his Manchester United teammate.
Dalot told the club's official website:
“I think the stats can speak for themselves."
He continued,
"He’s a machine, like I like to call him. Inside of the pitch, outside of the pitch, the way he works, the way he drives himself every single day to perform like this, to give us these goals and these performances."
The right-back concluded:
“I think it’s a plus for this club and for the fans and, hopefully, we can stay with him for many, many years. I know he is not going to be here forever but I’m sure that he will play football for a few more years yet.”