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Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been given a new nickname by his Manchester United teammate Lisandro Martinez as the friendship between the duo continues to blossom behind the scenes.
Martinez made a high-profile move to United from Ajax during the summer transfer window. Since then, he has managed to form a good bond with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
The No. 7 was on the scoresheet as the Red Devils defeated FC Sheriff in their latest UEFA Europa League clash. Ronaldo uploaded a photo to his Instagram after the game. Martinez commented on it using emojis.
The Portuguese legend had previously uploaded a photo on his social media after his team's 1-0 away win against Southampton in the Premier League.
Martinez commented, "El bichoooo" on it. The phrase translates to the words "The Bug" in English.
What is the reason behind Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo's nickname 'El Bicho'?
Cristiano Ronaldo didn't earn his nickname at Manchester United. Rather, it was his time at Real Madrid that earned the Portuguese phenomenon his nickname.
Ronaldo spent nine glorious seasons in Spain with Los Blancos. He became the all-time top scorer for the Madrid giants during his time in Spain. The Portuguese managed to score 450 goals in 438 games for the club.
He won many honorable awards, including two La Liga titles and four Champions League honors.
He absolutely terrorized defenders during his stay at Real Madrid. During one such goal, the Spanish radio broadcaster Manolo Lama called the No. 7 'El Bicho'. The term was applied to express his terrorizing presence on the field.
However, Ronaldo's time in Spain ended at the start of the 2018-19 season as he left the Santiago Bernabeu in a bid to conquer a new league.
Ronaldo then joined Italian powerhouse Juventus. He scored 101 goals in 134 games for the Bianconeris. After three seasons, Ronaldo left Juventus and returned to Manchester United last summer.
He scored 24 goals in 38 games in his first season with the Red Devils. That said, the mercurial forward has endured an underwhelming start to his campaign in the 2022-23 season. He has scored only one goal in eight games for United so far this season.
