Cristiano Ronaldo has paid a beautiful tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away at the age of 96 on Thursday.The Manchester United superstar, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, played hours after the Queen’s death was confirmed on a subdued evening at Old Trafford.United suffered a 1-0 defeat against Real Sociedad in the Europa League, with Ronaldo playing the full 90 minutes for the first time since the team’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Brentford.Prior to kick-off, an immaculate minute of silence was observed for the UK’s longest-reigning monarch.

Video: Old Trafford pays tribute to the Queen

You can watch that footage here:

And now, Ronaldo has paid a heartfelt tribute via Instagram, where he has more followers (477 million) than any other person in the world.

“Seven years of my career were played in the Premier League, making this my 8th season living in England,” the legendary Portuguese forward wrote. “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.

“I pay my respect to her memory and I mourn this irreplaceable [loss] with the country that I’ve learned to call home.

“My thoughts and prayers are with the Royal Family.”

Cristiano Ronaldo's Instagram tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

Here’s Ronaldo’s Instagram tribute to the Queen:

Football matches in the UK postponed

Ronaldo and his Man United teammates were set to be in action again on Sunday, away at Crystal Palace.

However, the FA have cancelled all football in the UK (including grassroots football) following the Queen’s passing.

A statement on the FA’s website read: “Her Majesty the Queen was a long-standing Patron of The Football Association and has left a lasting and indelible legacy on our national game.

“As a mark of respect, following the passing of Her Majesty the Queen, English football has united to postpone all football fixtures between 9-11 September.

ST GALLEN, SWITZERLAND - SEPTEMBER 08: Players and fans participate in a minute`s of silence after it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II has passed away today during the UEFA Europa League group A match between FC Zürich and Arsenal FC at Kybunpark on September 08, 2022 in St Gallen, Switzerland. (Photo by Christian Kaspar-Bartke/Getty Images)

“The FA can confirm that all football fixtures across the Barclays Women’s Super League, Barclays Women’s Championship, the Vitality Women’s FA Cup, and the Isuzu FA Trophy, will be postponed this weekend.

We can also confirm that all football fixtures across the National League System [NLS], Steps 1-6, including the Vanarama National Leagues, the Women’s Football Pyramid [WFP], Tiers 3-7, and matches across grassroots football in England will be postponed.

“The Premier League and the EFL have all confirmed that their fixtures this weekend will be rescheduled for a later date.

“All flags at Wembley Stadium and St. George’s Park will continue to fly at half-mast over the weekend.

“Our thoughts remain with our president, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, and the whole of the Royal Family during this time.”

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