A joke regarding Cristiano Ronaldo was delivered during a ceremony honoring Spain’s World Cup winners on Monday, as thousands of supporters assembled in Madrid to celebrate their triumph.
After defeating Argentina in the final, Luis de la Fuente’s squad received a hero’s welcome from roughly two million fans in the Spanish capital.
The 26-man roster, alongside the technical staff, met Spain’s royals and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez prior to embarking on an open-top bus parade through the streets of Madrid displaying the slogan: “Stars shine together”.
The procession ultimately arrived at Cibeles Square, one of Madrid’s most iconic landmarks, where a crowd of 120,000 supporters gathered to watch the squad called onto the stage.
As seen in the footage, players wore t-shirts printed with “Somos Campeones” across the front, which translates to “We Are Champions.”
Before stepping onto the stage, every player was given a darts-style introduction by host Raul Ramos, who sparked conversation online after making a witty remark about Cristiano Ronaldo during the event.
While introducing Crystal Palace’s Yeremy Pino, the host quipped: “Back in Lomo del Chentchi, they used to call Pino ‘Cristiano Ronaldo.’ The only difference? Pino has a World Cup.”
Ramos’ joke drew chuckles from both the crowd and his co-host. Ronaldo and Portugal were knocked out in the round of 16 by the ultimate champions, Spain, when Arsenal’s Mikel Merino scored the solitary goal of the match in the first minute of second-half injury time.
