Cristiano Ronaldo dedicated his two goals against Celta Vigo to Portugal legend Eusebio, who passed away at the age of 71 on Sunday.
The former Benfica player is considered to be one of the greatest players to have ever played the game, and was top scorer in the 1966 World Cup in England. He had suffered health issues for a number of years and died from a heart attack at the weekend.
His funeral was held on Monday afternoon, with thousands of mourners turning out at the Estadio de Luz in Portugal to pay respects to their hero.
Hours later, Ronaldo scored two goals against Celta Vigo as Los Blancos won 3-0 to keep up the pressure on La Liga leaders Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid. Speaking to reporters after the game, Ronaldo said although he was delighted with the win, his thoughts were very much elsewhere. And he dedicated his goals to his hero.
“I appreciate the tribute that the stadium and Spain have paid to him. To feel the warmth of Spain and the rest of the world is very important. I was very close to him and he helped me a lot. He is a legend for me and today is a sad day, and obviously, the goals were for him,” the 28-year-old said.
very humbling words.