Love for the Companions, speaking well of them, and respecting their status form part of the presented Sunni creed. In the definition of a Companion, meeting the Prophet ﷺ while believing and dying upon Islam are central conditions.
The well-known order of the Rightly Guided Caliphs is Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and ʿAlī, may Allah be pleased with them. Their merit is acknowledged while avoiding abuse or exaggeration regarding the Companions.
Love for them must remain consistent with the fundamental distinction between the Messenger's ﷺ servanthood and messengership.