'Welcome to Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport'

The airport at Funchal, Madeira has been renamed after one of its most famous sons, and will from now on be known as the Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport.

The decision to change the name of the airport on the island was taken by the Regional Government at a council meeting and was made to show Madeira’s appreciation to the Portuguese international footballer for raising the profile of the region

Injured Cristiano Ronaldo has 'no chance' of making Super Cup clash... as Real Madrid superstar eyes new deal and Ballon d'Or

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has been ruled out of the UEFA Super Cub clash with Sevilla as he continues to recover from a knee injury.

The Portugal captain led his side to victory at the European Championship, although was forced out of the final after a clash with France's Dimitri Payet. He has been enjoying an extended break in his home island of Madeira before eventually returning to the Bernabeu.

Between visiting his personal museum - where he put some finishing touches to a waxwork model of himself - and having a hotel and the island's airport named in his honour, he gave an update on his return to club action - revealing he will miss the showpiece match between the Champions League winners and Europa League champions on August 9. 

Quoted by Portuguese news agency Lusa, he said: 'I am completely ruled out for the ninth because my return date is the 10th, there is no chance.' 

The 31-year-old also addressed the prospect of renewing his contract in Madrid.

'I spoke to the president on the phone and when I get to Madrid, we will talk about it,' he sai

CRISTIANO RONALDO could have a new girlfriend in the form of stunning Mexican actress Eiza Gonzales.

Although they were not doing anything saucy in the photo, rumours have flown around that Gonzalez, 26, is Ronaldo’s new flame.

The Real Madrid superstar, also the world’s highest paid athlete, broke up Russian model Irina Shayk, who has since shacked up with US actor Bradley Cooper.

And while Ronaldo has been snapped with many female companions since, it is not the first time him and brunette Eiza have been linked.

As well as the rumours of her attendance at Portugal’s win over France, she herself recently published an image at the Stade de France in Paris, where thQuentin Tarantino and directed by Robert Rodriguez.

Meanwhile a former WAG who hit headlines when ex-Germany goalkeeper Oliver Kahn left his pregnant wife for her shared a picture of herself posing next to Ronaldo.

Gorgeous blonde Verena Kerth, 35, now a TV presenter in Germany, posted the image with the caption: “Footballers look good on me huh?” to her thousands of Instagram followers.

Cristiano Ronaldo takes control of his boat while in Ibiza

Having captained his country to victory at Euro 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo was pictured trying his hand as skipper of a boat in Ibiza.

The Real Madrid and Portugal superstar is still recovering from a knee injury he sustained in the final against France by relaxing on holiday with his family and friends. 

Ronaldo shared a picture of himself at the wheel of a private yacht he has chartered with the one word description, 'Captain'.

As Ronaldo laps up the Ibiza sun, his Real Madrid team-mates are preparing for their pre-season International Champions Cup tournament against the likes of Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

The Portugal talisman experienced a bitter-sweet Euro 2016 final, having to leave the field on a stretcher in tears after a first half collision with Dimitri Payet. He then encouraged his team from the sideline and watched on as Eder's extra time winner snatched victory from host nation France.

The 31-year-old has been nursing his injured knee and attended a specialist clinic to receive oxygen treatment in an attempt to accelerate the recovery. 

However, it has emerged that Ronaldo will miss the UEFA Super Cup final against Sevilla which is to be played in Norway on August 9

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi set to fight for Uefa's best European player gong - as Will Grigg ties with Paul Pogba

Will Grigg’s cult status continues to blaze after the Wigan Athleticstriker was named by Uefa as the joint 25th best player in Europe, level with Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.

The European governing body have revealed their nominations for the title of the continent’s best player, featuring usual suspectsCristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, in a list including new entriesRiyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy.

The Leicester City pair were in scintillating form as the Foxes stunned the football community to lift the Premier League title, defying 5,000/1 odds, and both are placed above former team-mate N’Golo Kante, who joined Chelsea for £30m on Saturday.

The list, compiled by journalists from across Europe, puts Wigan’s 28-goal hero Grigg level with Juventus centre-back Giorgio Chiellini, Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin and Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

But the biggest surprise is the parity he shares with Pogba, said to be in the process of securing a world-record £100m transfer back to Manchester United after leaving Old Trafford on Sir Alex Ferguson’s watch in 2012.

Journalists were asked to rank their personal five best players across the entirety of last season and the top 10, as yet unranked, will be settled in August as a judging panel decides who will be crowned Europe’s best footballer.

Messi is the holder of that title but an indifferent season blighted by injury and off-field strife means it is unlikely to Argentine will retain the honour, especially after the Champions League and European Championship winning exploits of rival Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo's rumoured new girlfriend Elisa De Panicis as she sizzles in super sexy lingerie shoot

He led the Portuguese team to victory at the UEFA Euros 2016 earlier this month. 

And while Cristiano Ronaldo's professional career continues to triumph, it seems his personal life is just as successful as he reportedly scored a smouldering new girlfriend.

The 31-year-old sportsman is said to have struck up a romance with Italian reality star Elisa De Panicis, 29, who has been seen sizzling in a stunning new photoshoot.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Cristiano and Elisa for comment. 

And while she seems to be proclaiming their love, a recent saucy shoot proved exactly why he would be interested as she pulled a number of saucy poses. 

 

Making the most of her phenomenally toned physique, Elisa sizzled in front of the camera as she posed up a storm in an extremely racy black body. 

As she turned to the back she showed off her perky posterior while also flashing her extremely ample assets falling from the top of the cupped top. 

In another shot she distanced herself from lingerie, instead going for a sexy take on boho chic as she pulled on a sheer cover-up while wearing nothing underneath

Cristiano Ronaldo promises to ‘come back stronger’ this season for Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has assured his supporters that he will ‘come back even stronger’ for Real Madrid this season.

The three-time Ballon d’Or winner was carried off on a stretcher in tears during Portugal’s successful Euro 2016 final victory over Spain earlier this month.

The 31-year-old, desperate to help his team-mates, showed his managerial instincts later in the game; barking tactical instructions to the rest of players alongside Portugal manager Fernando Santos on the sideline.

Reports in Spain claim that the 31-year-old suffered knee ligament damage as a result of an over-exuberant challenge from France’s Dimtri Payet, an injury that is likely to see him miss that start of Real Madrid’s domestic season.

‘Hi everyone! I just wanted to thank all my fans,’ Ronaldo said in a video on his Instagram account.

‘I wanted to tell them that all is well and that I will come back much stronger. Thank you, long live Portugal!

Currently away on holiday, Ronaldo can be seen enjoying the sun with his left knee strapped in a heavy brace as he bids to return to full fitness.

Although no official date has been set for his comeback, Spanish newspaper Marca claim that Zidane will not be able to pick Ronaldo for at least his first three La Liga fixtures

Neymar: Cristiano Ronaldo in pole position to win Ballon d'Or

Neymar has backed Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Ballon d'Or following his Champions League and Euro 2016 successes.

Barcelona attacker Neymar believes Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is sitting in pole position to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or following his successful 2016.

Ronaldo guided Madrid to Champions League glory at the expense of Atletico Madrid in 2015-16, before winning Euro 2016 with Portugal following a 1-0 win after extra time against hosts France.

He had to settle for second place in the race for the Ballon d'Or behind Lionel Messi last year, but Neymar believes the 31-year-old is favourite to lift the prestigious individual trophy this time around.

"Winning titles plays a big role in the race for the Ballon d'Or," Neymar told Lance!.

"Ronaldo won the Champions League and now Euro 2016 as well. So I reckon he is in a good position.

"Plus Ronaldo is a great player. I have no qualms in saying that."

Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or in 2008, 2013 and 2014, with Messi lifting the trophy in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2015.

Cristiano Ronaldo buys Bugatti Veyron to celebrate Euro 2016 win

Cheeky Bugatti Veyron to celebrate your side's major championship triumph? Standard.

Cristiano Ronaldo may only have completed one-sixth of the Euro 2016 final for Portugal, but that hasn't stopped him enjoying the fruits of his summer's labour by buying the fastest road car in the world.

After being substituted with a knee injury 25 minutes into Portugal's eventual 1-0 win over hosts France, Ronaldo presumably needs the luxurious confines of the Veyron - which costs more to manufacture than its market price - as part of his prescribed recovery programme.

As Ronaldo approaches the autumn of his career and loses 'that yard of pace', it's understandable that he should wish to compensate by driving a car with a top speed of 268 miles per hour.

The 31-year-old does, however, risk being upstaged by his handsome ride. The Veyron has an output of 987 brake horsepower - surely rivalling that of its new owner, who's scored 364 goals in 348 senior games for his club side, Real Madrid.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo docked their yachts just feet apart in Ibiza

It turns out Ronaldo’s yacht is bigger, Spain’s AS newspaper reports. It measures 118 feet long compared with Messi’s 92-foot yacht.

[Cristiano Ronaldo’s abs were made to look flabby on TV. This means war.]

While the two docked their fancy boats next to each other, they’re not vacationing together. Messi, who may still be smarting from Argentina’s loss to Chile in the Copa America final last month, is hanging out with his partner Antonella and their two children Thiago and Mateo. Ronaldo, meanwhile, likely still celebrating after earning Portugal its first major world title by beating France at the European championship on Sunday, is with friends and family of his own.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the special footballer of his generation... he's been at the top for over 10 years, hails Sir Alex Ferguson

Cristiano Ronaldo's desire for football separates him from the rest as the best current player in the world, believes Sir Alex Ferguson.

After leading Real Madrid to a second Champions League title in three years, Ronaldo captained Portugal to their maiden European Championship crown against Euro 2016 hosts France on June 10.

Ferguson, who was at the Stade de France to see Ronaldo lift the Henri Delaunay Trophy, is adamant that the forward's dedication to the sport is a part of the reason for his success.

Euro 2016: Dimitri Payet insists injuring Cristiano Ronaldo 'wasn't intentional'

Dimitri Payet has denied claims he deliberately injured Cristiano Ronaldo during the Euro 2016 final before Portugal went on to win their first major honour in his absence at the Stade de France.

The 31-year-old left the pitch just 25 minutes into the showpiece final after a heavy challenge by France’s Payet in the early stages in Paris, with Ronaldo being forced to watch the action from the side-lines after receiving treatment in the changing room.

Payet has been subjected to abuse online in the aftermath, despite Portugal eventually emerging victorious in added-time, while the Portuguese contingent in the stadium also booed his every touch during the match

.“I came in for a tackle, full stop,” Payet told reporters at full-time. “I got the ball back, but if I hurt him it wasn't intentional - it's not in my nature to be a nasty player on the pitch. There's no question about that.”

Despite losing their talisman so early, Portugal frustrated hosts France for long periods before hitting them with a 109th minute winner from former Swansea City striker Eder.

At full-time, Portugal boss Fernando Santos said: “First of all I'd like to thank God for being with us, my wife, my mother, my grandson. My father wherever he is, he's probably having a few beers.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is an amazing example. Today he tried to remain on the pitch.

Cristiano Ronaldo could never have imagined winning Euro 2016 like this

SAINT-DENIS, France -- Cristiano Ronaldo will have dreamed of this moment for years. He has won almost everything there is to win for his clubs, but he had never won anything for his nation. Even in his strangest dreams, he could never have imagined that it would happen for him this way.

This is not how Ronaldo usually wins. Ronaldo usually wins with well-struck shots or sublime subtlety like that back-heel against Hungary. He wins when he endures the sort of pressure that crushes ordinary men like tin cans. But he had never won from the technical area, arms aloft, directing his players through the last stages of a lung-busting cup final prior to Sunday.

A glimpse into the future? Ronaldo the manager? Probably not. He will need neither the money nor the stress. But here he was, injured and exhausted, channelling every thing he had, every last ounce of personality and celebrity, all in the hope that it might make some kind of difference on the pitch. And perhaps it did.

Asked afterward if he felt that this was the high point of his career, he agreed. "I always say I win everything in terms of clubs, then as individual, but I always say I never win something for Portugal," he said. "But I win tonight. I'm so happy, it's a moment I cannot describe.

First medical report: Cristiano Ronaldo's knee injury confirmed

Cristiano Ronaldo suffers a partly torn ACL that could keep him out up to four or five months, according to the first explorations by the Portuguese doctors in France. If that first medical report is confirmed, Ronaldo will miss the UEFA Supercup for Madrid and also the first few matches in the 2016-17 Liga BBVA season.

The Portuguese star did not visit any hospital after leaving the match though, so he still needs to run some tests on that left knee to confirm how severe his injury is.

Ronaldo was forced to leave the Final after an aggressive tackle by Dimitri Payet in the opening minutes of the game. He tried to stay on the pitch but then realized that his knee was bothering him way too much.

Portugal managed to win the trophy without their captain and Ronaldo had more than enough reasons to celebrate their victory. He will have time to worry about his knee in the upcoming days.

Eder reveals Cristiano Ronaldo predicted he would score Euro 2016 winner

Portugal's Euro 2016 hero Eder said Cristiano Ronaldo predicted he would score the winning goal against France and gave him the encouragement to settle Sunday's final.

Eder came on in the 79th minute, having played only 13 minutes at the tournament before his introduction, and struck the winner with a venomous long-range strike in the 109th minute.

Portugal were outsiders to win the final and were dealt a significant blow in the 25th minute when their captain Ronaldo had to be replaced due to injury.

Cristiano Ronaldo stretchered off in tears in Euro 2016 final

A tearful Cristiano Ronaldo was forced off injured in tears just 25 minutes into Portugal's Euro 2016 final against France in Paris.

Ronaldo had attempted to play on with a heavily bandaged knee after hurting himself in an eighth-minute collision with France's Dimitri Payet.

Cristiano Ronaldo won't retire after Euro 2016 final - Fernando Santos

Cristiano Ronaldo will not retire after the Euro 2016 final, regardless of the result, according to Portugal manager Fernando Santos.

It has been reported that Ronaldo may follow in the footsteps of Argentina captain Lionel Messi, who retired following his nation's Copa America defeat against Chile in June. However, Santos believes that the Real Madrid forward will continue to play for his country long enough to attend at least one more European Championship.

"He'll play for another six, seven, 10 years," Santos said. "I don't know. But tomorrow won't be his final match."

Ronaldo scored one goal and assisted the other in Portugal's 2-0 semifinal win over Wales on Wednesday, but Santos has revealed that the forward's leadership skills have been just as important to the team.

Euro 2016 final: How the new-look Cristiano Ronaldo made Portugal's success a personal mission

It was 10 years ago on Saturday that Zinedine Zidane headbutted Marco Materazzi in Berlin, ending his career and his reign as Europe’s best footballer. Thierry Henry had been substituted minutes before and, having passed his peak at Arsenal, could no longer claim that title either. Within a few months a 21-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo had claimed that crown for himself.

What is so remarkable, 10 years on, is how Ronaldo still has a grip on that same title. No European player in the modern era could claim to have been at the top for so long. Over the last few years, since turning 30, Ronaldo has managed to hold off the challenges of the next generation of European players. Time will eventually catch up with Ronaldo, but so far Gareth Bale, Antoine Griezmann and Eden Hazard have not.

That has been the story of Euro 2016 so far, as Ronaldo has delivered for Portugal over and over again. After the petulant rage against Iceland’s “small mentality”, Ronaldo at his worst, we have been treated to Ronaldo at his best: powerful, decisive, at time unstoppable. “If there is an anti-Ronaldo plan,” Didier Deschamps shrugged yesterday, “no-one has found it yet.”

It was Ronaldo who dragged Portugal out of the group stage, scoring the two equalisers against Hungary in Lyon, which scraped them through in third place. It was Ronaldo who led the charge with four minutes left against Croatia, seeing his shot saved before Ricardo Quaresma bundled in the rebound. It was Ronaldo who scored Portugal’s opening penalty kick against Poland, in a shoot-out they went on to win 5-4.

Then, against Wales in Lyon, against the one player who can claim to be as important for Real Madrid as Ronaldo is, or as complete in his skills, Ronaldo did it all again. The first was a header that no other player in the world could have scored. The second was finished by Nani after Ronaldo drove the ball towards goal.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann grab the headlines as Euro 2016 final build-up reaches fever pitch

Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann decorate the front page of French sports daily L'Equipe, which heralds 'The Day of the Lords'.

This France team has steadily won its way into the affections of their nation's public in similar fashion to which the country's multicultural 1998 World Cup winners stole French hearts

L'Equipe warn that Didier Deschamps' team will have to repel the threat of the talismanic Cristiano Ronaldo as Les Bleus seek a first major title since they won the European Championship in 2000.

France also won the competition when they last hosted it in 1984. And to add some extra spice to Sunday's showdown the French overcame Portugal in the semi-finals of each of those two tournaments.

The French paper, in keeping with the comradeship that has been one of the endearing features of the past month, reserves four pages specifically for readers from Portugal - a nod to their final opponents and the fact more than one million people of Portuguese ancestry live in France.

Portuguese daily Abola is in no doubt Sunday will be the day their team - and its superstar player - finally savours international success.

The paper's headline proclaims: 'The game of our lives. We will win it'

Another Portuguese title, O Jogo, takes a rather more unconventional approach to its coverage of their country's first summer final since they were beaten by Greece on home soil in the 2004 European showpiece.

The paper's front page sees a triumphant Ronaldo standing tall above 11 cockerels - in reference to the Gallic rooster that adorns the French shirts - each christened with the name of one of France's expected line up for the game in Pari

Euro 2016 final - The Magnificent Sevens: Cristiano Ronaldo v Antoine Griezmann

After tricky starts, they have become the two dominant personalities at Euro 2016, the two leading favourites to win the player of the tournament award. They share a home city but are split down tribal lines. One scored twice in a 2-0 win in the semi-finals and the other scored a goal and assisted another. They met in the Champions League final and, six weeks on, their duel could decide the Euro 2016 final too.

Football coverage almost always coalesces around star names but in the cases of Griezmann and Ronaldo it is entirely justified. It is no exaggeration that the outcome of Sunday’s match could even decide the destination of the Ballon d’Or this year.

European Championship record

Both players are bothering the once great Michel Platini in France. Ronaldo has drawn level with his all-time record of nine Euros goals and also became the first man to score in four separate finals. These are Griezmann’s first, but he has six strikes, meaning a sensational performance in the final could see him creep up to his legendary compatriot.

At Euro 2016, Griezmann’s goals are coming every 73 minutes and he has two assists. Ronaldo has one more assist but his three goals have come every 200 minutes. So Griezmann is bossing these finals but Ronaldo has been building a legacy since Euro 2004

Pepe returns to full Portugal training with Cristiano Ronaldo happy to welcome defender back into fold ahead of Euro 2016 final showdown against France

Pepe has returned to full training with the Portugal squad and is expected to start in the Euro 2016 final against host nation France on Sunday. 

The Real Madrid centre back missed Portugal's 2-0 semi-final win over Wales after suffering a thigh injury in the quarter-final win over Poland.

Pepe trained alone on Thursday and Friday, completing light drills under the supervision of a personal coach, but has now made sufficient progress to join up with the rest of his team-mates

CRISTIANO RONALDO: LIONEL MESSI’S COPA AMERICA TEARS ‘HURT ME'

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been rivals for the title of world’s greatest player for most of the past decade. That doesn’t mean they can’t feel empathy for each other, however.

Ahead of Portugal’s UEFA Euro 2016 semi-final against Wales on Wednesday,Ronaldo showed his softer side, suggesting he felt sorry for Messi following his international retirement.

Messi has taken a tough decision and people should understand,” Ronaldo toldMundo Deportivo.

“He is not accustomed to defeats and disappointments, not even finish the second. Missing a penalty does not make you a bad player.

“It hurts to see Messi in tears and I hope he returns to his country, because he needs it.”

Messi missed a crucial penalty in the Copa America Final shootout against Chile, and retired from Argentina duty in the aftermath, stating: “I’ve done all I can.” He failed to win a major international tournament with his country in an 11-year career that took in 113 caps and 55 goals.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, will lead his team out as captain at Stade des Lumieres in Lyon on Wednesday against the surprise team of the tournament in Wales.

The 31-year-old Real Madrid star has never won a major international tournament himself, coming closest in 2004 when he reached the final, only to lose to an unfancied Greece side.

Cristiano Ronaldo reveals what he said to Gareth Bale after dumping Wales out of Euro 2016

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed what he said to Real Madrid team-mate Gareth Baleafter Portugal knocked Wales out of Euro 2016.

The Portuguese captain scored one and assisted the other as his side reached the final for the first time since 2004, when they lost to Greece.

Ronaldo was seen consoling Bale after the final whistle, and he also congratulated the Welshman on his side's remarkable run in the competition.

"I congratulated them on their run," Ronaldo said, having embraced Bale at the end.

"They had an amazing run. They were the shining star here, the revelation team.

"I wished them good luck and as for the rest I would rather not say."

The Welsh players stayed on the pitch after the final whistle to applaud their fans, and didn't make it back to the team hotel until 20 past midnight.

Man of the match Ronaldo's incredible header early in the second half was followed three minutes later by Nani turning home his shot, sending them into Sunday's Stade de France finale against world champions Germany or hosts France.

"This is different," the 31-year-old said, comparing this tournament to Euro 2004.

"I was 18, that was my first final. My debut. Now 12 years have gone by and now we are going to play another final. I am very proud of that.

Best photobomb ever? Ball boy sneaks into Portugal photo, hugs Cristiano Ronaldo

I

t appears the Portugal squad were good sports about it and the kid earned a hug from Ronaldo for his efforts.

Afterward, the boy joined the other ball kids and jumped in the air with a double fist pump of excitement. He probably got scolded for it afterward, but it was surely worth it.

Job well done, kid.

Cristiano Ronaldo hit three international records last night and still people deny him his dues

The Portugal captain produced one of the moments of the tournament - the goal of the tournament (sorry, Shaqiri) - and there was less of a reaction to that than there was to his gesticulations.

Hungary were let in again and Ronaldo was even angrier. The cameras panned to him. He was distraught at the thought that he could do what he just did at one end and his team mates would let a Hungarian undo it.

The laughs that followed amongst the press were widespread and deliberate. They were forcibly loud and genuinely joyous because they played into this lazy narrative that Cristiano Ronaldo is the bad guy and we're all supposed to hate him.

Honestly though, the laughs were just embarrassing.

Here was a man who will go down as one of the greatest players that ever lived and the people who are supposed to be reporting on every record that he breaks and every landscape that he changes were actively seeking his downfall. The people who are supposed to be capturing his timelessness weren't appreciating what he was doing right in front of them and they sure as hell weren't respecting it.

Ronaldo scored again and the media began to filter away from the television screens. That's not what they were looking to see.

Ronaldo has been painted as the villain and a hell of a lot of people were only too thrilled to go along with that.

Most of it is because he knows he's good. It's because he wants to win. It's even because he's vain and good-looking. Lionel Messi is portrayed as the pure saviour to the evil that is Ronaldo and no-one ever wants to even talk about Pep Guardiola's revelations in Guillem Balague's book that he almost lost Messi (who was throwing strops in training and partying with Ronaldinho) because the Argentine wanted to be treated differently - because he should be. Because he's the best.

Imagine Ronaldo retired from international football at the age of 29 and cited not winning as the problem. Honestly, imagine that.

Being convicted for tax fraud seemed to get brushed aside very quickly too and that's alright, because none of that takes away from the genius that is Lionel Messi. Nobody appreciates him any less as a special, special footballer. For some reason, they do Ronaldo though. They appreciate his skill less because they like him less.

Gareth Bale and Welsh togetherness contrast sharply with Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal as Euro 2016 semi-final looms

There are two images from Euro 2016 that sum up the differencebetween Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo. The first is Ronaldo posing for a selfie with a Portugal fan, who ran onto the pitch at Parc des Princes in Paris following the goalless draw against Austria in the group stages. 

Ronaldo gestured with a steward to stay back, struck a pose – and Uefa instigated disciplinary proceedings with Portugal receiving a fine.

The second came at the end of Wales’s historic 3-1 victory over Belgium on Friday evening which set up their semi-final against Portugal – with Bale coming up against Real Madrid team-mate – as the players formed a huddle that morphed into a heart to show their togetherness.

Gareth Bale v Cristiano Ronaldo - Here is how the two Real Madrid stars compare head to head

Wales will meet Portugal in the semi-final of Euro 2016 on Wednesday and that means a meeting between Real Madrid team-mates Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.

CAPS

Bale won his 60th cap in the Euro 2016 quarter-final against Belgium, having made his debut in 2006 to become Wales' youngest ever player at the age of 16 years and 315 days. Ronaldo became Portugal's most capped player at Euro 2016, breaking the record of Luis Figo, and has now made 131 appearances for his country.

TOURNAMENTS

Wales had waited 58 years to play at a major finals following the 1958 World Cup. But Bale has made the most of his opportunity with three goals and one assist. Ronaldo is a veteran of major tournaments having played in seven - four European Championships and three World Cups - but has never really made a lasting impression in any.

GOALS

Bale is joint fourth on Wales' all-time scoring list with Dean Saunders on 22 goals - and six short of equalling Ian Rush's record. Ronaldo is Portugal's record goalscorer with 60, far eclipsing the previous best mark of 47 set by Pauleta.

Pic Special: Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo over the years

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Gareth Bale - the last time they played against each other

Gareth Bale will have a score to settle with Cristiano Ronaldo when he locks horns with his Real Madrid teammate on Wednesday night.

The pair are used to playing alongside eachother for their club but will go head-to-head when Wales take on Portugal in the Euro 2016 semi-final.

Bale helped Chris Coleman's side seal their spot in the last four after they dumped out Belgium on Friday night.

Now the Welsh wizard can claim bragging rights over Ronaldo with victory in Lyon.

However, the Portuguese superstar has one up on his rival from the last time they faced off five years ago

Ronaldo scored the only goal as Real Madrid clinched their place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 1-0 second-leg victory at White Hart Lane to seal an emphatic 5-0 win on aggregate.

The former Manchester United forward fired home five minutes after the break to put the tie beyond Spurs.

That proved to be the last time Bale and Ronaldo were on opposing sides as the Welshman moved to Bernabeu that summer for £85million.