“Is Ronaldo from Serbia?”, “He retired Ronaldo early” - Fans debate over 29-year-old being better than Cristiano Ronaldo at Portugal after 4-2 win
Fans online have started a debate over the better player for Portugal between Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes. This comes following the latter's brace in their 4-2 win over Finland in a friendly on Tuesday, June 4.
Roberto Martinez's side hosted Finland at the Estadio Jose Alvalade as they prepare for the upcoming UEFA Euro 2024. Ruben Dias gave them the lead in the 17th minute before Diogo Jota converted a penalty in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time.
Bruno Fernandes, who came off the bench in the second half, scored in the 56th minute to make it 3-0. Finland scored two goals within five minutes via Teemu Pukki (72', 76') but Fernandes' 84th-minute goal secured the win for Selecao.
The Manchester United midfielder completed 46/50 passes, made two key passes, won 2/4 duels, and had four attempts on goal. After the game, some fans online compared Fernandes' importance to Portugal's team to skipper Cristiano Ronaldo, who didn't feature against Finland.
While some believe the midfielder is Portugal's current best player, others stuck by Ronaldo. Here are some of their reactions on X (formerly Twitter):
"Is Ronaldo from Serbia?"
"He have retired Ronaldo early"
One fan tweeted:
"Imagine calling someone else aside Messi “Argentina’s best player. Ronaldo is truly washed"
Another asked:
"What about Ronaldo?"
Another fan wrote:
"They don’t even need Ronaldo in the team tbh"
Another added:
"Damn thats cold @Cristiano"
A fan supported Fernandes:
"No one come close"
Another defended Ronaldo:
"Respect Cristiano Ronaldo"
Another fan labeled Fernandes as:
"Ronaldo’s son"
Bruno Fernandes on Portugal teammate and captain Cristiano Ronaldo
Ahead of their clash against Finland, Bruno Fernandes hailed Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol and said he wants to emulate him in his own way. He said that he wants to reach the levels of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner:
"One day I want to reach the level he is at. I want to play where he plays. To do the feints he does, shoot the way he does. You see these moves that our idols do and try to recreate them in our own way."
Fernandes has made 65 appearances for Portugal so far, scoring 22 goals and providing 19 assists. Ronaldo, meanwhile, is the all-time top scorer and also the player with the most appearances in men's international football. He's scored 128 goals and provided 46 assists in 206 games for Selecao.