Cristiano Ronaldo thanks Real Madrid fans following show of support using face masks

Supporters of the Spanish club staged stunt to boost Ronaldo's chances of winning the Fifa Ballon d'Or

Simon Rice
Thursday 28 November 2013 04:40 EST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Looking like some sort of football related Anonymous march, an estimated 45,000 Real Madrid fans donned Cristiano Ronaldo face masks during their side's Champions League game with Galatasaray last night.

The stunt was organised by two supporters' groups who were eager for the club to show their support for Ronaldo in the battle to win the Fifa Ballon d'Or award, which recognises the best player on the planet.

Since winning the Ballon d'Or while a Manchester United player in 2008, Ronaldo has come second best to Lionel Messi. However, many think this will be his year, with the Portugal forward installed as the favourite ahead of his rival from Barcelona, as well as Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich.

Real Madrid officials sanctioned the face masks and a few banners to allow their hard to please supporters to show who they believe is the best player on the planet.

Ronaldo was forced to witness the tributes from the stands after being ruled out of the match with a thigh injury.

Taking to Twitter after the match, he tweeted: "Thanks to the fans for the great support. I wish I was there helping my team."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in