Cristiano Ronaldo posts message on Twitter after Champions League draw

Just as the Champions League group stage draw was coming to a close on Thursday, Cristiano Ronaldo uploaded an oddly timed training picture.

The Manchester United forward captioned his post on Twitter: ‘Keep working and focused’ just as the 32 teams learned their fate for Europe’s premier club competition, which likely won’t have Ronaldo in it.

Since 2003, when United last finished in the top four, it appears that the Champions League will be without its all-time leading scorer for the first time ever.

Despite Ronaldo’s triumphant comeback, the Red Devils had their worst-ever Premier League season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick last year, finishing sixth in the standings.

However, in all competitions, Ronaldo scored 24 goals, 14 more than his nearest teammate.