Fans believe they have uncovered the real reason behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s unexpected assist to Bruno Fernandes in Portugal’s 3-0 victory over Turkey at EURO 2024.
Portugal secured a convincing 3-0 win over Turkey in their second group stage match at EURO 2024. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for Portugal at Signal Iduna Park before an own goal doubled their lead just before halftime.
During the search for his first goal of the tournament, Ronaldo had a golden opportunity to open his account in Germany after going one-on-one with the Turkish goalkeeper. However, instead of taking the shot himself, he passed to his former Manchester United teammate, Fernandes, who easily slotted the ball into the empty net.
With this assist, Ronaldo increased his total number of assists in EURO tournaments to seven, surpassing Pavel Poborsky’s record.
After the match, some fans on social media expressed surprise at Ronaldo not taking the chance for himself. However, a theory emerged that shed light on the situation. Observant fans noticed that after the halftime break, Ronaldo switched from his green boots to a new pair bearing the name Matilde, the name of Fernandes’ young daughter. It seems Ronaldo borrowed his teammate’s boots, and the assist might have been a gesture of gratitude.
Even without scoring, Ronaldo continues to make headlines by holding several records in the tournament. He remains the top scorer (14 goals) and has the most wins (14 matches) in EURO final stages. Additionally, Ronaldo is the only player to participate in six different EURO tournaments, with EURO 2024 marking 20 years since his debut in Portugal’s home tournament in 2004.
Cristiano Ronaldo (right) celebrates with Bruno Fernandes after assisting the goal during Portugal’s match against Turkey in Group F of EURO 2024 at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany, on June 22, 2024. Photo: Reuters
The victory means that Roberto Martinez’s side is leading Group F convincingly and has secured a spot in the knockout stages. The Portuguese team will conclude the group stage with a clash against Georgia in Cologne on Wednesday.
