CRISTIANO RONALDO handed the captain’s armband to Blaise Matuidi as a mark of respect after Leonardo Bonucci was subbed off.
The Portuguese star, 34, landed two goals of his own to set an incredible record of his own.
But he had the presence of thought to give the armband to ace Blaise Matuidi, 32.
The French midfielder has been at the Serie A club since 2017 and Ronaldo recognised that as he turned down the chance to skipper the Old Lady himself.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star scored two of his own as he condemned Udinese to a 3-1 defeat at the Allianz Stadium.
And in doing so he set a stunning record of scoring double figures in 15 consecutive seasons at a top European league.
That makes it 11 in 19 appearances for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and continues a trend he began in the 2005-06 season.
He said: “The most important thing was to win. This is how we should play, with confidence.
“Individual performances aren’t what matters, but the collective effort.”
Both summer signings Aaron Ramsey and Matthijs de Ligt were unused substitutes and the Welshman has not played since Juve’s 2-2 draw with Sassuolo on December 1.
Ronaldo’s neighbour revealed he is “ideal” to live next door to after settling into life in Turin, 18 months after moving to the Serie A giants.
