Cristiano Ronaldo pays emotional tribute to wife of Sheffield Wednesday hero José Semedo

The football world mourned with Semedo after it was confirmed that she had passed away – and Wednesdayites came together in touching fashion on Saturday afternoon as Hillsborough filled up with chants of ‘You’ll never get past Semedo’ in the sixth minute of the game.

On top of that, ex-teammates of the Portuguese midfield man paid their own tribute to him after equalising, with Liam Palmer and Barry Bannan heading over to collect at ‘Semedo 6’ shirt in the moments that followed Callum Paterson’s goal against Oxford United.

Now, a few days after it was reported that Ronaldo had been on the phone with Semedo to show his support, the talismanic Manchester United man has taken to his personal Instagram account to send his public condolences.

Ronaldo, who was at the Sporting Club de Portugal academy alongside Semedo, said in a post today, “There are times when everything takes a back seat, including football… Last week, unexpectedly, a fantastic human being left, our dear Soraia, a wonderful mother and wife of one of the best friends that life has given me.

"Nothing can erase the pain of my brother José Semedo and the whole family. But we are together, today as always, in time to face this very difficult time. Rest in peace, my friend. We'll never forget you.”

Semedo played almost 170 games for Wednesday and became a big fan favourite at the club.

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