“Grateful” - Cristiano Ronaldo posts heartfelt Instagram message on 38th birthday

Cristiano Ronaldo has posted a heartfelt message on Instagram thanking everyone for wishing him his 38th birthday. The Portuguese superstar, widely regarded as one of the greatest players to have ever graced the game, celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday, February 5.

Cristiano Ronaldo was quite naturally flooded with messages wishing him on his birthday given the fact that he is one of the biggest celebrities on Instagram.

The Al-Nassr forward posted a heartfelt message to his followers on Instagram. He wrote:

"Thank you everyone for all the birthday messages 🙏🏻❤️ grateful to have spent the day with my family and friends. 🥰"

On his birthday, Cristiano Ronaldo was wished by his former clubs Sporting CP and Manchester United, who both played key roles in his development.

His boyhood club Sporting CP sent him a box, named the 'Cristiano Ronaldo Box,' as a gift. The box is a piece of memorabilia that showcases the most notable moments of the Portuguese icon's career at the club.

Manchester United also posted birthday wishes for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner on his 38th birthday, despite his unceremonious exit from Old Trafford earlier this season.

Ronaldo scored his first goal for Al-Nassr just before his birthday. The former Real Madrid superstar scored an injury-time penalty against Al Fateh to salvage a point for Rudi Garcia's team on Friday.

---

Ex-Arsenal star reveals how Arteta shared Cristiano Ronaldo's mentality

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta takes pride in his appearance just like Cristiano Ronaldo, as claimed by the Spaniard's former teammate Emmanuel Frimpong.

Ronaldo, known for the attention he paid to his appearance, used to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror.

Frimpong recently claimed that Mikel Arteta shares that trait with Ronaldo and always wants to look good. Speaking of the current Arsenal manager, here's what Frimpong told talkSPORT:

"Well he was good on the pitch and he was very good looking off the pitch if you ask me! I remember Mikel sometimes in the changing room he would stand in front of the mirror, doing his eyebrows, making sure everything is perfect.

"It's a typical, 'Mikel Arteta: things have to be done perfect'. He was very quiet, he talks with wisdom, he talks with details. He was a player that I really respected because he used to help me a lot as a youngster. It's a shame that we didn't play together for so many years, but it's something that I got away with because I have a picture of him and me in my house."