“He always had an aptitude for seeing the stars” - Cristiano Ronaldo salutes ex-coach who discovered him 

Cristiano Ronaldo recently shared a heartwarming message for former Sporting CP youth coach Aurelio Pereira after he was honored at a Portuguese award gala.

Ronaldo joined Sporting CP's youth setup from Nacional Youth in 1997. Pereira coached him during his academy days, discovering his talent as he also did with other legends like Luis Figo and Quaresma. Portugal Football Federation recently honored Pereira at the Quinas de Ouro gala for his services.

Cristiano Ronaldo also shared a message for his former coach, saying (via Portuguese outlet Jornal de Noticias):

"I am very happy that Mr. Aurélio received this honor. It is well deserved. As you know, it was very important in our training, not only for me but for many of my teammates. As everyone knows, Mr. Aurélio has a different eye everyone else and he always had an aptitude for seeing the stars and helping."

He added:

"He makes me extremely happy. I know he's in excellent shape. He's already better and I hope he can last for many, many years. It's a pleasure for me to send him this message. I hope you can enjoy this evening. A big hug, friend."

Cristiano Ronaldo went on to make his senior debut for Sporting CP in 2002. He made 31 appearances, scoring five goals and providing six assists, and also won the Portuguese Super Cup.

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Cristiano Ronaldo reacts as Portugal complete flawless Euro qualifying campaign

Portugal beat Iceland 2-0 at home in their last 2024 UEFA Euro qualifier on Sunday (November 19), bringing an end to an excellent campaign. They won all 10 games, scoring 36 goals and keeping nine clean sheets, conceding just two goals.

Cristiano Ronaldo was the top scorer for Portugal in the qualifiers with 10 goals in nine games. After the win over Iceland, he shared a post on Instagram with the caption:

“Historic clearance, 100% victorious! Congratulations Portugal.”

After Portugal's quarter-final exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup, manager Fernando Santos was sacked and replaced by Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard has done brilliantly and will hope to lead his side to the Euros glory next year in Germany.

Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, will next be in action for Al-Nassr when they host Al Akhdoud in the Saudi Pro League on Friday, November 24. He has been in a prolific form at club level, registering 16 goals and nine assists in 17 games across competitions.