I went to a match at Cristiano Ronaldo's childhood club and found a team still completely obsessed with him, 25 years after he left

Nacional play in the second division of Portuguese soccer, Liga Portugal 2.

The club welcomed G.D. Chaves to the Madeira Stadium on the night in what was a crunch match, with the two sides separated by just two points in the league table.

The Manchester United star spent two seasons with Nacional as a youngster between 1994 and 1996.

According to Nacional's website, he won his "first ever collective title with the club."

After being given a three day trial with Sporting Lisbon, he was signed by the Primeira Liga giant for a measly fee of $2,000.

Despite his short stay at Nacional, however, Ronaldo has left a lasting legacy.

Just inside the ground lay part of the club's museum. The main section was shut due to COVID-19 restrictions, however the part still open featured plenty of Ronaldo memorabilia.

Photos, newspaper clippings, and books dedicated to the 36-year-old were scattered across the wall, while the club's book of honor, which Ronaldo signed during a visit to his former home last year, was also on display.

"It's always good to be back home" Ronaldo wrote on his Instagram after his visit.

Nacional replied: "You are always welcome in your house."

Built in 2007, Nacional decided to name its academy after "the most famous athlete who ever passed through" the club.

It features two large pitches, four changing rooms, and a gym.

Nacional runs regular youth tournaments, also named after Ronaldo, at the academy, often featuring some of Portugal's and Europe's biggest clubs, such as FC Porto, Benfica, and Borussia Dortmund.

Despite there only being around 100 people at the ground, due mostly to the club's strict COVID-19 protocols, there were plenty of nationalities in the audience.

There were English, Scottish, German, Spanish, and even Americans on hand to watch Ronaldo's boyhood club and take a look around the stadium.

Most, of course, were likely on vacation rather than coming specifically to the game, but nevertheless, the pull of Ronaldo was clear to see.

"There aren't many places you'd come on vacation and go and watch a second tier football match," Martim, a Madeiran who now lives in America but was back on the island visiting his family, told me while waiting in the queue for our COVID tests.

"People come because it's Ronaldo's old team."

Nacional kicked off the match knowing a win would move it to fifth place in the table and closer to promotion to Portugal's top flight, from which it was relegated last term.

But things got off to a dreadful start for the host when it went behind in just the 16th minute thanks to a goal from Chaves midfielder João Teixeira.

With Chaves dominating, it then went from bad to worse for Nacional on the stroke of half-time when André Sousa was shown a straight red card.