The two played together at Real Madrid for nine years

Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo played for Real Madrid for nine years and created history together. — AFP/Screengrab

Cristiano Ronaldo sent a Christmas gift to his former teammate Marcelo’s son, Liam Alves, on Monday, December 25.

Alves, born in 2015, extended his gratitude to the Portuguese legend as his father’s ex-teammate sent a signed shirt on Christmas and posted it on his Instagram account with a heartfelt caption.

“Thank you so much Cris. I love you. You are my idol @cristiano,” Alves posted on Instagram.

Ronaldo and Marcelo played together at Real Madrid for nine years, from 2009 to 2018, and formed one of the greatest partnerships of all time as the two donned Los Blancos’ left flank for a long time.

Ronaldo moved to the Spanish capital in 2009 in a record-breaking signing and became friends with the Brazilian in no time. The two had many joyful moments, they had many celebrations, and used to prank one another during training sessions and team photoshoots.

They played together on the field 332 times, collectively netting 33 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo contributed 25 goals, while Marcelo scored eight.

However, after spending nine years filled with legacy and greatness, Ronaldo left Madrid in 2018, after which he joined Juventus and spent three years there.

Despite not playing together for almost six years now, the two still share a solid bond and have great respect for one another.

After Ronaldo left, Marcelo’s decline started and he was soon replaced by newly signed left-backs like Sergi Reguilon and Ferland Mendy and the Brazilian eventually left the club like a legend in 2022 after winning the UEFA Champions League and La Liga, although he didn’t play many matches during the campaign.

The 38-year-old left Manchester United after a mutual contract termination in November 2022 and joined the Saudi Pro League in January. There were speculations that the Brazilian might join his ex-teammate in the Gulf country but he decided to back to his country and is playing for Fluminense FC.

The defender revealed that he had a chat with Ronaldo about a potential move to the Middle East but he preferred to go back to Brazil.

“We [Marcelo and Ronaldo] talked about this some time ago. I had some proposals to leave, not just there [Al Nassr], but I needed to return here [Brazil], to my roots. Something told me that I had to go back,” Marcelo said as quoted via GOAL.