Rasmus Hojlund had to speak up after getting some negative reactions for his gesture towards Cristiano Ronaldo during the Denmark vs Portugal game.
Rasmus Hojlund has spoken out after some people said he was being disrespectful to the Portugal national team when he copied Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration during Denmark’s 4-2 loss to Portugal on Thursday night.
Hojlund scored in the 53rd minute to level the score at 2-2 in the Nations League match in Copenhagen and then did Ronaldo’s famous ‘Siu’ celebration. Ronaldo had left the Portugal team camp on Wednesday after a press conference by coach Jorge Jesus. He hadn’t played in their 2-1 win over Norway earlier that week.
After the game, Hojlund told reporters, “I did that celebration as a way to honor Cristiano Ronaldo, after everything that happened to him. He’s my role model and I meant no disrespect to the Portugal team.”
Right after the final whistle, Hojlund even patted Portugal’s coach Jorge Jesus on the chest, making Jesus laugh — though it wasn’t clear how Hojlund felt about it.
Hojlund missed playing with Ronaldo at Manchester United by just seven months, but when he joined in summer 2023, he said he had looked up to the 41-year-old for a long time. “My dad introduced me to Cristiano when I was young and told me to idolize him because of his great mindset. For me, he’s the best player ever,” Hojlund said.
Meanwhile, according to El Chiringuito’s Edu Aguirre, coach Jesus promised to admit his mistake in not using Ronaldo against Norway but didn’t, which may have led to Ronaldo leaving the team. Jesus said, “Any player warming up for 20 or 30 minutes and not getting on isn’t happy. As a coach, I decided not to bring him on.”
After leaving the Portugal squad, Ronaldo posted on Instagram that he had spoken with the President of the Portuguese Football Federation and decided to leave the national team camp. He said he would explain the reasons behind his departure later but wished good luck to Portugal and his teammates.
Some Portugal players have spoken about the situation. PSG’s Nuno Mendes said he would welcome Ronaldo or any teammate back to the national team, while Villarreal’s Renato Veiga said he was told not to discuss Ronaldo but showed respect for him.
Before the Portugal vs. Denmark match, Jesus said, “I will explain everything after the last game. I know I didn’t do anything wrong. Cristiano’s importance is clear — he’s an icon and nobody can take that away.”