Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot took inspiration from Cristiano Ronaldo by including words from the Portugal captain in his heartfelt message on social media.
Diogo Dalot was in action on Tuesday evening and started in Portugal’s Group F opener against the Czech Republic at Euro 2024 in Germany.
Portugal, who are considered one of the favourites at Euro 2024, overcame a tough encounter with the Czech Republic to clinch all three points on the night.
The Czech Republic broke the deadlock against Portugal in the second half at the Red Bull Arena with a stunning finish from Lukas Provod.
However, Portugal rallied back seven minutes after a deflection from Robin Hranac led to the ball landing in the back of the Czech Republic net.
Diogo Jota saw his effort ruled out in the 87th minute after VAR deemed that Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo was offside in the build-up.
Portugal ensured a 2-1 victory on the night after Francisco Conceicao found the back of the net in injury time only minutes after coming off the bench.
Dalot borrows words from Ronaldo
Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot played 63 minutes for Portugal in the Group F clash before he made way for Goncalo Inacio.
Dalot has high expectations placed on his shoulders at the tournament in Germany after capping off a superb individual 2023-24 season at Old Trafford.
Portugal are now second in Group F and face Turkey in their next Euro 2024 clash on Saturday before their encounter with Georgia on 26th June.
Turkey took the top spot in Group F after their thrilling 3-1 win over Georgia on Tuesday at Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion stadium.
Dalot took to Instagram after the Czech Republic match and sent a poignant message to Portugal fans over their “incredible support.”
“All the way! Very important to start with a win! Thank you Portuguese [sic] for the incredible support today,” he wrote on social media.
However, eagle-eyed fans spotted that Dalot had borrowed the same rallying call as Cristiano Ronaldo, who used the “all the way” line in his message on Instagram.
Dalot has spoken highly of his relationship with Portugal star Ronaldo and the impact that his former United teammate has had on his career.
Dalot on Portugal vs the Czech Republic
Speaking after the match, Dalot believed that Portugal “controlled” the contest against the Czech Republic and he was “very happy” with his side’s win.
“We were hasty at times, especially in the first half, in our desire to enter and in our desire to find spaces, but we improved in the second half,” he told reporters.
“I am very happy with the win. We reacted. We lost well and rarely had counterattacks.
‘We showed it until the end. We thought we would be able to turn the match around.
“We know that the first match in a competition like this is always difficult against a very complex team with many confrontations.
“I think we controlled the match, but we looked for victory, and this is what we must learn from this match and try improve some aspects.”