A historical rivalry was put aside on Tuesday as both sets of fans came together to support the grieving attacker and his partner.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s family have thanked Liverpool fans for their show of support for the Manchester United striker following the death of his baby son.
Ronaldo revealed on Monday that one of his newborn twins, a boy, had passed away and called for privacy following the tragedy.
The Portugal captain missed Tuesday’s clash with Liverpool as he and partner Georgina Rodriguez grieve their loss, but Reds fans shared their condolences all the same.
What did Ronaldo’s family say?
In the seventh minute of the match – to correspond with Ronaldo’s shirt number – fans broke into a rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ to show their support to the 37-year-old.
Posting on Instagram, Ronaldo’s sister Elma wrote: “Thank you for this Liverpool. We will never forget what you did today.”
Fellow sibling Katia added that the gesture went “way beyond football”, while Ronaldo’s mother, Dolores Aveiro, posted a quote from the bible.
She wrote: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
“In all your way acknowledge Him and he shall direct your paths.”
What else was said about the gesture?
Man Utd revealed ahead of the game that the idea to get behind Ronaldo in such a difficult time was originally suggested by Liverpool fans, despite the clubs’ fierce rivalry.
A statement on the Red Devils’ website read: “A fan-led minute’s applause will be held in the seventh minute of the game in a tribute to the Portuguese striker and his partner Georgina, after they announced the loss of their new-born baby boy on Monday.
“Messages of support from across the football world are continually flooding in on social media and everybody’s thoughts are with the Ronaldo family right now.
“While United and Liverpool share English football’s greatest rivalry, there is a deep-rooted respect held between the two clubs and that will be highlighted by the minute’s applause, which was initially suggested by fans of the Merseyside team.”
(goal.com)