Revealed: Why Frank Lampard ‘stayed away’ from Cristiano Ronaldo after bumping into Portugal star on holiday

Speaking to BBC Sport, Lampard said: “I bumped into him on holiday a few months ago, I was in the same hotel on the beach and fortunately his sun spot each day was a little down from me. I made sure to stay away from him because he was in incredible shape. So I gave him a little bit of distance.

“I pulled him over for a picture with my son because of the incredible player he’s been and I quickly put my t-shirt on and had a nice picture with him.”

He added: “I noticed he was going to the gym twice a day with his personal trainer. Just shows you his dedication to what he does. I was sipping a beer watching him and gave him a ripple of applause as he walked back!”

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star is currently in Germany with the Portuguese squad at Euro 2024. He scripted a record on Tuesday as he became the first player to appear in six different editions of the European Championship after taking the field against Czechia in the Selecao’s tournament opener.

The 39-year-old will aim to open his scoring account in his team’s next game on Saturday as they face Turkey at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund, where a win will see Portugal through to the last 16.