Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his 38th birthday in style, posting three gorgeous pics with his friends and family on his social media handle.
Just few minutes of dropping the post with a heartwarming message of appreciation to his teeming fans and supporters, likes ran into millions and a barrage of reactions trickled down.
The former Manchester United forward put up a cold and carefully-worded message of appreciation which reads;
“Thank you everyone for the birthday messages. Great to have spent the day with my family and friends.”
Cristiano Ronaldo is the most followed personality on Instagram, and the thousand of reactions and comments to his birthday post was not a surprise.
Unlike his previous birthdays which he celebrated on the shores of Europe with Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, the five times Ballon d’Or winner celebrated his 38th birthday in Ryadh in Saudi Arabia where he has found a new home after a troubled last spell with Manchester United in England.
Cristiano Ronaldo at 38; a rise or fall in his football career?
For over 17 years, Cristiano Ronaldo lingered on the summit of club football in Europe, pulling down records and setting new ones.
The Portuguese star won several trophies and bagged various awards as a player. He won the Champions League with Manchester United, including the Premier League. He also won the La Liga and five Champions League trophies with Real Madrid.
At Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Serie A, but could not nick the Champions League trophy with the Italian agents.
He has won five Ballon d’Or awards, and several other individual awards while plying his trade in Europe.
However, in a sharp twist of events, Cristiano Ronaldo suddenly experienced a drastic downturn in his career after he joined Manchester United again from Juventus.
Despite a promising first season with the club following his return, Ronaldo’s Manchester United career dipped to its all-time lows in his second season.
He lost his starting berth under new Man United manager Erik Ten Hag and struggled to find the back of the net. Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure in the Man United bench and ended up with on-pitch and off-pitch collisions with Erik Ten Hag.
His tensed relationship with Erik Ten Hag finally resulted in his acrimonious exit from the club after he granted a bombshell interview aiming digs at Erik Ten Hag, the deplorable state of facilities at the club, and the Glazers.
After his exit from the club, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr as a free agent on a mega two-and-a-half-year deal which will see him earn a whooping £173m every year.
The 38-year-old joined Al-Nassr as a last resort after his attempt to join a European club with a Champions League offer failed.
It is believed Cristiano Ronaldo is hitting the twilights of his career and may soon have to call time on his career in few years time.
Manchester United, Juventus sends birthday greetings, Real Madrid silent
Despite his acrimonious exit from Manchester United, the Red Devils posted a picture of his first spell with the club, wishing him a happy 38th birthday.
Juventus also wished Cristiano Ronaldo a happy birthday, but Real Madrid were silent and made no reference to the player on his special day.
While he reportedly left Real Madrid following a row with club President Florentina Perez, it is still unclear whether the duo are still beefing each other.
After the 2022 World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo trained at Real Madrid facility before joining Al-Nassr. He has scored one goal in his three appearances for the Saudi club so far.
