Diogo Dalot has continued his trend of documenting Cristiano Ronaldo as a youthful prodigy on his Instagram stories.
In their latest 2026 FIFA World Cup group match, Portugal defeated Uzbekistan by 5-0, in which Ronaldo silenced the backlash he faced after a frustrating performance in the opening 1-1 draw against DR Congo.
The Al Nassr forward scored two goals, becoming the first player in history to score in six consecutive World Cups.
Dalot celebrated the win by posting a photo of Ronaldo holding his Supreme Player of the Match on an Instagram story, captioning: “Smiling like a kid.”
The Manchester United defender has consistently poked fun at the football legend’s age by contrasting it with his raw, child-like passion for the game. It is a well-known gag, currently, and his tribute to his childhood idol.
The dynamic of Dalot acting like ‘older brother’ to his childhood icon is a running joke that masks a good, full-circle friendship.
Dalot also jokes, frequently, about Ronaldo’s high energy antics, social media habits and dramatic goal celebrations (like his iconic signature ‘Siuuu’).
Similarly, Dalot also had posted the selfie with the same text overlay “#Young v #Old” as a playful nod to the generational gap between himself and his legendary captain, during October 11, 2024, while the squad was in training camp ahead of their UEFA Nations League match against Poland.
The post poked fun at Ronaldo’s legendary, ageless physical fitness and childlike enthusiasm for the game, contrasting it with Dalot joking that he felt like the older one.
This trend started back in October 2023, when Dalot captured a selfie with Ronaldo with captioned “This new generation always on the phone”, playfully calling Ronaldo a hypocrite. The joke directly references Ronaldo’s infamous, explosive interview with Piers Morgan in 2022.
During that interview, Ronaldo openly criticized younger modern footballers, claiming they lack the same hunger as his generation because they are too easily distracted by modern tech. He stated, “The youngsters are not the same of my generation… the new technologies distract them.”
Dalot who is 14 years younger than Ronaldo caught the legendary forward completely glued to his smartphone during a downtime session of the international break. He couldn’t resist sneaking a picture to mock his captain using his captain’s own words.
Beyond the social media jokes, Dalot is one of Ronaldo’s most fiercely loyal defenders in the Portugal camp, often getting likened to The Boys character Deep because of his loyalty to Ronaldo, just like Deep is to Homelander.
Ahead of the ongoing World Cup tournament, Dalot revealed that the national squad held private meetings specifically to prepare for the inevitable social media backlash that target Ronaldo.
Whenever public pressure mounts, Dalot routinely steps up to the microphones to defend his captain, publicly stating that sharing a locker room with Ronaldo is a masterclass in professional longevity.
Diogo Dalot first met Cristiano Ronaldo in 2016 as a young Portugal youth international, and the encounter left a lasting impression that inspired Dalot throughout his football career.
In 2016, as a member of the Portugal under-17 squad that went on to win the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Dalot met Ronaldo, who was already a global football icon.
At that time, Dalot was still developing through Porto’s youth system and had limited exposure to football superstars, making this meeting a formative and motivating event.
Dalot has often reflected on how meeting Ronaldo was life changing experience. Witnessing Ronaldo’s professionalism, mindset, and dedication inspired Dalot to elevate his approach to training and match preparation.
Later in 2025, Diogo Dalot celebrated his first trophy with Portugal as the team won the UEFA Nations League, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a crucial equalizer and both sharing emotional moments after the penalty shootout victory against Spain.
The victory demonstrated the strength of Portugal’s squad under manager Roberto Martinez and reinforces the bond between the experienced Ronaldo and the younger generation represented by Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.
Coming back to World Cup ongoing in USA, Mexico and Canada, Portugal are in the second place behind Colombia in their group. A victory against Colombia on June 27 will win Portugal the group, while a draw guarantees them a top two finish and direct qualification to the Round of 32.
Even if they lose to Colombia, they can still advance as a top two team depending on the goal difference and the result of the simultaneously played DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan match.
And even if they finish at third place, they still have an extremely high chance of qualifying for the Round of 32 as under the expanded 48-team format, the eight best third-placed teams out of the 12 total groups advance to the knockout stage.
