Luis Figo comes to Cristiano Ronaldo's defence

Luis Figo defends his Portuguese compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo

Portugal legend Luis Figo has leapt to the defence of Cristiano Ronaldo following the controversy surrounding his decision to throw a 30th birthday party after Real Madrid's 4-0 defeat at the hands of city rivals Atletico Madrid.

Ronaldo had already planned to celebrate the milestone on Saturday evening about a month ago, but has been criticised by supporters and sections of the media who have questioned his professionalism.

However, Figo, who is one of four candidates challenging Fifa president Sepp Blatter to become head of the game's governing body, hit back at critics of his compatriot on Twitter.

Here is what he tweeted: “Anyone who doubts Cristiano Ronaldo's passion for professionalism and that of Real Madrid's is completely without knowledge of their history and character.”

Quien dude de la pasión de @Cristiano por el Real @realmadrid y su profesionalismo, desconoce por completo su historia y su carácter.

— Luís Figo (@LuisFigo) February 10, 2015