CRISTIANO RONALDO and James Rodriguez shared one of the warmest moments of the World Cup at half-time of Portugal’s goalless draw with Colombia.
The interaction, captured by FOX Sports, left fans nostalgic after footage emerged of the pair embracing, hugging and laughing together in the tunnel.
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Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez enjoy a warm embrace
The former Real Madrid superstars were re-united in Miami tonight
The former Real Madrid teammates enjoyed a brief catch-up before kick-off, sparking a wave of reaction across social media from supporters who remembered their trophy-laden spell together at the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo and James played alongside each other between 2014 and 2017 after the Colombian’s blockbuster move from Monaco following his stunning performances at the 2014 World Cup.
Fans loved the moment on social media, with one writing: “Legends colliding. respect deep. What a moment.”
Another simply posted: “Real Madrid legends 🤍.”
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While several comments simply hailed the pair as “Legends.”
During their time together in Madrid, they lifted a La Liga title and two Champions League crowns under Zinedine Zidane before James departed on a two-year loan spell with Bayern Munich.
The pair never shared a dressing room again as James later reunited with Carlo Ancelotti at Everton in 2020/21 before becoming somewhat of a football journeyman.
He had spells with Al-Rayyan in Qatar, Olympiacos in Greece, São Paulo in Brazil, Rayo Vallecano back in Spain, Club León in Mexico, and most recently a brief stint with Minnesota United in MLS – where he made just eight appearances.
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Watching him glide through matches for Colombia this summer, however, few would guess the 35-year-old has travelled such a winding road.
James remains the heartbeat of his country, and is showing no signs of slowing down at international level.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, has continued doing what Ronaldo does best.
Following spells with Juventus, Manchester United and now Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, the Portuguese superstar is still chasing history – sitting on 975 career goals as he edges ever closer to the seemingly impossible 1,000 goal milestone.
Ronaldo and James reminiscing good times in the tunnel
Their latest meeting came after an entertaining 0-0 draw in the final Group K fixture – a result that sent Colombia through as group winners while Portugal also comfortably booked their place in the knockout stages.
Finishing top has worked in Colombia’s favour. They will now face Ghana in Kansas City in the early hours of Saturday morning (2.30am UK time).
Meanwhile, Portugal take on Croatia in Toronto on Wednesday night (midnight UK time, technically Thursday morning).
The outcome has also created an intriguing twist elsewhere in the bracket.
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England manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping to finally bring football home after a 60-year drought.
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With Colombia winning the group, Portugal have been kept on the opposite side to Argentina.
That means football fans could yet get the dream World Cup final between Ronaldo and Lionel Messi should both nations continue their runs.
For now, though, one brief tunnel reunion between two former Real Madrid stars was enough to remind supporters of a golden era.
It showed us that despite the passing of time, some football friendships never fade.
