Former Manchester United defender Alexander Buttner has reacted to Rio Ferdinand's tribute to Cristiano Ronaldo on Instagram, calling the Portuguese star a "legend", according to Sportskeeda.
Ferdinand, a former Manchester United teammate of Ronaldo's, shared an old video of the two together, praising Ronaldo's achievements and importance to Portugal's national team. Buttner, who played for Manchester United from 2012 to 2014, commented on the post, saying "Most goals in European Championship history. Most assists in European Championship history. Most goals in Champions League history. Most assists in Champions League history. @cristiano 👊❤️" "Legends".
Ronaldo recently led Portugal to a 3-0 win over Turkiye at Euro 2024, providing an assist and becoming the joint all-time top assist provider at the Euros with 8 assists. He also holds multiple records in the Euros, including most editions played in, most appearances, and most goals.
Ferdinand had earlier stressed Ronaldo's importance to Portugal, pointing out his stats from the Euro 2024 Qualifiers, where he scored 10 goals in nine games. Buttner's comment and Ferdinand's tribute demonstrate the respect and admiration Ronaldo's former teammates have for his achievements and dedication to the sport.