“Legends” - Ex-Man United defender reacts to Cristiano Ronaldo tribute from Rio Ferdinand
Former Manchester United defender Alexander Buttner reacted to Rio Ferdinand's Instagram post as a tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo. It came after Portugal's 3-0 win over Turkiye at Euro 2024 in Dortmund on Saturday, June 22.
A Selecao comfortably beat Turkiye, having opened the scoring in the 21st minute through Bernardo Silva. Samet Akaydin then scored a horrible own goal in the 28th minute to make it 2-0. In the 56th minute, Ronaldo was one-on-one against the goalkeeper but chose to pass it to Bruno Fernandes, who scored in an empty net.
Portugal's third goal was significant as it made Cristiano Ronaldo the joint all-time top assist provider at the Euros with 8. He joined Czech Republic legend Karol Poborsky at the top of the list. The Al-Nassr man holds multiple records in Euros. They include most editions played in (6), most appearances (27), and most goals (14).
After the game, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand shared an old video of himself with Ronaldo on Instagram with the caption:
"Most goals in European Championship history. Most assists in European Championship history. Most goals in Champions League history. Most assists in Champions League history. @cristiano 👊🏽❤️"
Former Manchester United defender Alexander Buttner commented on the post:
"Legends"
Buttner made 28 senior appearances for the Red Devils between 2012 and 2014. He currently plays for second division Dutch team De Graafschap.
Rio Ferdinand on Cristiano Ronaldo's place in Portugal squad
Ahead of the commencement of UEFA Euro 2024, many raised questions about whether Cristiano Ronaldo should be starting for Portugal. This comes after he was benched in the knockouts at the 2022 FIFA World Cup by Fernando Santos and they were eliminated in the quarter-finals against Morocco.
However, Rio Ferdinand stressed Ronaldo's importance to Portugal, pointing out his stats from the Euro 2024 Qualifiers. The 39-year-old scored 10 goals in nine games and was only behind Romelu Lukaku (14) on the goalscoring charts.
Ferdinand said:
"He scored 10 goals in those nine qualifiers for Portugal. If you looked at him in isolation at that World Cup, I might agree with you. But if you look at the qualification process, without him, they don't qualify."
Portugal have qualified for the Round of 16 at Euro 2024, winning both of their opening matches. Cristiano Ronaldo has played every minute so far and put in good performances, providing an assist as well. A Selecao will take on Georgia in their final group game on June 26.