Cristiano Ronaldo is picked up and hoisted into the air by an eager pitch invader in a bizarre moment during Portugal’s 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in a bizarre altercation with a pitch invader
- The 38-year-old was picked up and hoisted into the air in the middle of the field
- Portugal beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-0 with Ronaldo not scoring
Cristiano Ronaldo was involved in a bizarre altercation on Saturday night after a supporter ran onto the pitch to collect the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
It came during Portugal’s 3-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina with Bruno Fernandes scoring twice, while Bernardo Silva returned to the pitch a week after Manchester City’s epic Champions League win to score his 10th international goal.
Despite much uncertainty about his international career following the Seleção’s disappointing exit from the 2022 World Cup, the 38-year-old was selected as part of Roberto Martinez’s Portugal squad for this summer’s Euro 2024 qualifiers.
It came as many believed the Al-Nassr star would retire from international football after being defeated by Morocco in the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar.
But Ronaldo once again proves everyone wrong, scoring a duo of goals in each of his last two international appearances against Liechtenstein and Luxembourg
Cristiano Ronaldo (right) was involved in a bizarre altercation with a spectator during Portugal’s 3-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Ronaldo (right) smiled and entertained the pitch invader and performed his famous ‘Siu’ celebration with the man
But in bizarre scenes, the superstar was hoisted into the air by the man who broke into the field
He may not have made it on the scoresheet tonight, but was involved in a strange moment when a fan ran onto the field to hug him.
Ronaldo remained motionless as he was grabbed by the onlooker who appeared to give the former Manchester United striker a hug before bowing to him, holding a Portuguese flag.
Ronaldo appeared momentarily confused by the incident and got to his feet as the field invader got to his feet. He put his arms around the Portuguese striker and lifted him several feet into the air, in a rather comical moment, before dropping him back to the ground.
Face to face, the pitch invader then performs his ‘Siu’ celebration with Ronaldo, who also joined in, throwing his arms to the ground.
The supporter then quickly sprinted away to avoid the advancing security guards. A strange, but humorous incident to say the least and hats off to the attacker, who smiled and shook hands with the spectator.
After the game, Ronaldo posted a few photos of himself on Instagram with the caption, “Great win, team! Thanks to all the Portuguese for their support!’
It comes after a difficult first season in the Saudi Pro League in which Ronaldo’s side, Al-Nassr, missed out on the league title from Al-Ittihad, who won the title by five points.
And the Portuguese boss, Martinez, believes Ronaldo’s time in Saudi Arabia will help Portugal improve as a team.
“Playing in a non-European club is sometimes an advantage when you play in the national team,” he told reporters.
RONALDO RAISED BY FAN¿¿ Pitch invader during the Portugal v Bosnia and Herzegovina match in Lisbon hugs the 38-year-old striker before picking him up and hitting Siu cele. When they say never to meet your heroes, it’s often for your hero’s own safety.pic.twitter.com/TaDjdmoTkx
— Men In Blazers (@MenInBlazers) June 17, 2023
Ronaldo has now scored two goals in each of his two appearances for Portugal since being named in Roberto Martinez’s squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers
“We have three ways to analyze a player: individual quality, experience and commitment. Cristiano’s commitment is complete.
“He is an example for the dressing room, an example for Portuguese and world football. He played 198 games for the national team.
Cristiano and [veteran FC Porto defender] Pepe is an example of Portuguese football and we need them to pass on all the experience and wisdom to the youngest players.
“Just like any other player, he [Ronaldo] must train well to play. We need a high-performance environment with competition for our players,” he added.