Cristiano Ronaldo sent a message on Portugal Day to Portuguese people and communities across the globe. The special day is celebrated on June 10 every year.
Ronaldo, Portugal's national football team captain and the greatest player in the nation's history, posted on Instagram:
"Happy Portugal Day, Camps and the Portuguese Communities."
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely adored as a Portuguese icon and garners a massive amount of respect in his country. His agent Jorge Mendes recently said about the Al-Nassr attacker's impact on Portuguese people:
"Cristiano will always be in my heart. He is a special player and person for me. If I thought, years ago, that I could have a player with half of his value, I would sign under. All of us Portuguese should be proud of having had (him), and we have a player like him."
What Roberto Martinez said about Cristiano Ronaldo's inclusion in Portugal squad?
Cristiano Ronaldo has continued to be a part of the Portugal national team under new manager Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard took over after Fernando Santos was relinquished of his charges following a quarterfinal exit at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Ronaldo has made two appearances for the national team under Martinez, bagging braces against Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. Speaking about the international football's highest goalscorer's inclusion, Martinez told talkSPORT:
“I met all the players, and in that, you see what it means to play football and where they are in their careers. For Cristiano, he wasn’t ready to step away. He was ready and wanting to be a part of the new cycle, and at that point, it was very easy to include him into the March camp, and then you can make a football decision.
"He scored four goals; he was a real leader, a captain and someone who brings an experience that no other player has in world football. He’s someone who can reach 200 caps for your country and someone who needs to be used in your dressing room.”
Ronaldo is also a part of the team that will play Bosnia & Herzegovina (June 17) and Iceland (June 20) in the next set of Euro 2024 qualifiers. He's one of three captains of the national team under Martinez.