Cristiano Ronaldo finally breaks silence on Rasmus Hojlund celebration - 'I'm smart enough'
Cristiano Ronaldo cleared the air before his second meeting with Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund who mimicked the legendary Portugal star's infamous celebration
Manchester United strikers past and present have been caught up in a drama of sorts over the international break as Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal contest Rasmus Hojlund's Denmark for a place at the UEFA Nations League finals.
Their two-legged affair got off to a start in Copenhagen on Thursday night with the Danes winning 1-0. Hojlund, benched to begin with, drew first blood with little time to spare and performed Ronaldo's iconic 'siu' celebration as the 40-year-old watched on in disbelief.
Now the legendary former United No.7 has spoken out on the actions of the club's latest No.11 for the first time and says there is no ill-feeling between the pair - cheekily adding he hopes to disappointment the 22-year-old by scoring and doing the celebration himself.
"It's no problem for me. I know it wasn't out of disrespect. It is not only him who does my celebration around the world," football's all-time top goalscorer said at the second leg's pre-match press conference on Saturday night.
"I'm smart enough to understand that. For me it is an honour. I hope to do it in front of him tomorrow [on Sunday]. It will be good. I'm glad he likes my celebration."
Hojlund had instantly sought to clear up any notion of hostility towards Ronaldo in the reaction to his match-winning strike, explaining that his actions were because he wholeheartedly reveres the man who scored 145 goals for the club he now plays for, winning three Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy.
The striker said after the first leg: "I’m playing against the world’s best footballer, my idol, and to score a goal and win the match... it couldn’t be better."
"It’s for my idol. It’s not like I’m mocking him or anything. I’ve just always said that he has a lot of importance to me and my football career.
"It’s maybe a bit ambivalent, but scoring against him and Portugal is huge. I was there and saw him in 2009 when he scored from a free kick and I’ve been a fan ever since."
Not only did £72m man hold those feelings but also those of relief as he broke a 13-match drought for his country. The weekend prior, he had also broke a 23-match drought for United by scoring against Leicester City.
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