Diogo Dalot firmly believes his friend Cristiano Ronaldo will continue to shine on the biggest stage, breaking records for Club and country. The number 7 finished his first season at Manchester United as our top scorer with 24 goals in all competitions for the Reds, having been beaten in the Premier League only by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min, and as the club’s Sir Matt Busby- player of the year. With Portugal competing in the UEFA Nations League this month, Ronaldo scored twice in the 40 games he won against Switzerland last time out, taking his overall tally for his country to an incredible all-time high of 117.

Age is so obviously 37, this top athlete shows no signs of slowing down.”I think the stats speak for themselves,” Dalot told us in an exclusive interview towards the end of the season. “It’s a machine, as I like to call it. On the field, off the field, how he works, how he strives every day to achieve such achievements, to give us these goals and these achievements.

“I think he is an asset to this club and to the fans and hopefully we can stay with him for many, many years. I know he won’t be here forever, but I’m sure he’ll be playing football for a few more years. When asked if the center-forward was more than capable of playing at the top for many years to come, his club and country colleagues had no doubts. “Yes,” he replied. “Easy.

I’m sure he’ll do his best to play with his last strength but it’s up to him. We just have to enjoy him while he’s here.”Dalot, who had yet to come on as a substitute in the win against the Swiss, will be hoping to take part in Thursday’s clash between Portugal and the Czech Republic to take the lead in Group A2.