Cristiano Ronaldo condoles Queen Elizabeth II's death; mourns 'irreplaceable loss'

Sportstars, leaders and celebrities around the world have paid tribute to the life and service of Queen Elizabeth II on her demise. Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo, who is lauded as one of the current generation's greatest footballers, also paid his tribute to Her Majesty. Queen Elizabeth II, the UK's longest-serving monarch, died on Thursday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland after reigning for 70 years. She was 96.

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"The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon," Buckingham Palace said in a statement. "The King and the Queen Consort [Charles and Camilla] will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow [Friday]," the statement added. The monarch had been suffering from age-related mobility issues and had cut down her travels, including appointing new Prime Minister Liz Truss in Scotland earlier this week.

Leading the monarchy from the final years of the British Empire into the age of social media, Queen Elizabeth II became one of the world's most recognised and respected figures, the BBC commented. She became Queen on the death of her father King George VI on 6 February 1952. She held her coronation at Westminster Abbey the following year. Her reign of 70 years was seven years longer than that of Queen Victoria.

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Taking to Instagram, Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo shared a black and white photograph of Queen Elizabeth II and penned an emotional note. "Seven years of my career were played in the Premier League, making this my 8th season living in England. Throughout these years, I've felt the everlasting love of the UK for it's Queen, and how important Her Majesty was and will forever be to the British people," the Portugal talisman wrote.

"I pay my respect to her memory and I mourn this irreplaceable lost with the country that I've learned to call home. My thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻" added Ronaldo in a post which saw several fans condole the sad demise of Queen Elizabeth II.

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The news of the Queen's demise came around when Manchester United played their Europa League 2022-23 season opener against Real Sociedad. The Red Devils lost to the Spanish club 1-0 at Old Trafford. A spot kick goal from Brais Méndez was the difference as Erik ten Hag's side couldn't muster a response. Ten Hag chose a solid lineup to begin the Europa League group stage, but he still made a few adjustments, including recalling Ronaldo. 

The 37-year-old had hoped that a summer transfer would allow him to play Champions League football elsewhere this season, but instead, he made his first-ever appearance in the Europa League and didn't seem to enjoy himself. Ronaldo is yet to score a goal this campaign and had a goal disallowed in the first half for offside. The five-time Ballon d'Or also had a few half-chances snuffed out by Real Sociedad's tenacious defence. In the second half, the Portuguese striker also accepted a few difficult tasks, and by the conclusion, he appeared to be feeling some discomfort.

Ronaldo benefited by playing 90 minutes after missing nearly all of the preseason, but his performance didn't indicate that he would soon be back in the lineup for a Premier League match. The iconic striker may have to wait for his moment in the Europa League for the time being, but he can compel Ten Hag to call him back for league games by finding his scoring touch quickly. He will most likely have to make do with his impact replacement duties for the time being.

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