“Bruno would never do that”, “True leader” - Fans salute Cristiano Ronaldo for putting Portugal team ahead of personal record at Euro 2024

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo assisted Bruno Fernandes for their third goal against Turkey at Euro 2024 on June 22, and fans are in awe of his unselfishness. The Al Nassr star came within a brilliant chance to net his first strike of the championship. However, he opted to square it for Fernandes, who then made the easiest of the finishes.

Playing in his record-extending sixth European championship, the Portugal captain is on the cusp of more history. He only needs one more goal to become the first player to net in six Euro tournaments.

The 39-year-old has netted at least once in all five of his previous appearances in the cup. But goals have eluded him at the ongoing showpiece in Germany so far. He drew a blank against the Czech Republic in their opener and didn't find luck against the Crescent-Stars today too.

However, things could've been different. In the 55th minute, Ronaldo raced clear of the Turkish defense to connect with an inviting long ball and only had goalkeeper Altay Bayındır to beat. Yet, he cut it for Fernandes on the left, and the Manchester United playmaker then tapped it home from close range for 3-0.

The 39-year-old's goalscoring record remains on ice for now, but fans praised the evergreen scorer for his unselfish act. One X user by the name of Joel Beya highlighted his playmaking skills, writing:

Another handle, named Oliver Holt, wrote:

"Absolute class from Ronaldo that. Always said he was a team player."

A few more fans echoed those sentiments:

One user called for respect for what Ronaldo did:

A popular fan page of the former Real Madrid star hailed him as a 'true leader', saying:

"Cristiano Ronaldo had an easy chance to score his first goal but he passed it to Bruno Fernandes. That is a TRUE LEADER."

Some more reactions include:

"Leading by example" wrote vist__AFC

"Bruno would never do that in Portugal" wrote Alberto de wise

"Ronaldo wants this Euro so badly to prepare for a battle for WC 2026. So he now understands to fight as a team. That was an unselfish act [clapping emoji]" wrote hmmmm.

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Ronaldo sets new assist record

His goalscoring record at Euros remains unachieved, but Cristiano Ronaldo bagged another one instead. With that assist for Bruno Fernandes today, he brought his tally to eight at the Euros, more than any player in the competition's history.

The forward opened up his assist account for Portugal at the Euros in 2004, his first with the side, as he finished with two assists. He assisted thrice more in the next edition before drawing a blank in 2012. Over the next two editions of the cup, the veteran forward registered two more assists, before adding one at the Euro 2024 too.

Now, he single-handedly claims the record for most goals scored (14), the most assists made, and the most appearances (27)! Supernatural stuff.