Chelsea hero Frank Lampard recalled an eye-opening moment that he had on holiday after he crossed paths with Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo is taking part in his 11th major international tournament for Portugal after he was called up to Roberto Martinez’s Euro 2024 squad.
The 39-year-old former United superstar has been a key influence in the Portugal team and is tipped to play a big role at Euro 2024 in Germany this summer.
However, Ronaldo did face criticism over his performance in Portugal’s 2-1 comeback win against the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Roberto Martinez’s men, who are considered one of the favourites at Euro 2024, were stunned in the second half after Lukas Provod scored for the Czech Republic.
Portugal rallied back against the Czech Republic and equalised seven minutes later after Robin Hranac put the ball in the back of his own net.
Francisco Conceicao then came off the bench and scored an injury-time winner, with Martinez’s side walking away with all three points from their Group F opener.
Ronaldo was unable to make his mark during the Euro 2024 match, with the United legend being denied twice by Jindrich Stanek in the first half alone.
Lampard’s encounter with Ronaldo
Frank Lampard crossed paths with Al Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo during his time at Chelsea and on the international stage with England.
The 46-year-old former Chelsea star was in the BBC Sport studio for Portugal’s match against the Czech Republic and opened up about Ronaldo.
Lampard praised the Portugal captain for his attitude and professionalism and commended Ronaldo’s ability to still play at “this level” in his career.
The ex-England international revealed his encounter with Ronaldo on holiday and noticed that the Manchester United legend still didn’t have an ‘off day’ from training.
Lampard said that he could see Ronaldo alongside his personal trainer during his holiday and was left in awe at the Portugal international’s dedication.
“What a great attitude and professionalism from him to [still] be playing at this level. The numbers are incredible,” he said before the Portugal match.
“I actually bumped into him on holiday a few months ago. I was in the same hotel on the beach.
“Unfortunately, his sunspot every day was a bit down from me and I made sure to stay away from him because he was in incredible shape, so I gave him a little bit of distance!
“I pulled him over [as] I wanted my son to have a picture because of the player he’s been.
“I quickly put my T-shirt on and had a nice picture with him but I noticed he was going over to the gym twice a day with his personal trainer. It just shows you his dedication to what he does.”
Martinez fully backs Man Utd legend Ronaldo
Portugal will return to action on Saturday against Turkey before their final Group F clash against Georgia on 26th June.
The Euro 2016 champions are second in Group F and level on points with Turkey, who secured a sensational 3-1 win over Georgia on Tuesday.
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez has remained firm on his position over Cristiano Ronaldo and the United legend’s importance to his team.
“Cristiano is the only player who has played in five Euros and he will now play in six,” he told a press conference, as per The Independent.
“His experience is very important to the dressing room, but we know there will be difficult times during the tournament and we need to see whether or not we have the quality to progress.
“Nobody gets in the national team by having a name. For us, Cristiano is a goalscorer, he is someone who can make the final move and can really stretch defenders to open spaces.
“Over the years, Cristiano has changed his way of playing slightly, but Cristiano is in the national team on merit and the numbers are there to back that up.”