Rasmus Hojlund scored the only goal in the match between Denmark and Portugal in the first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals. The Manchester United striker came off the bench and scored the decisive goal in the 78th minute, thereby creating an advantage before the return match away.
The most notable point is that after scoring, Hojlund jumped high to celebrate in Ronaldo's "Siu" style. While the Portuguese superstar was extremely disappointed, Hojlund created an impressive contrasting moment.
When the match ended, Hojlund was mentioned a lot on social networking sites. The quality and professionalism of the match were completely overshadowed by the media because that celebration came from the 22-year-old striker. In addition to compliments about the goal, Hojlund also faced many criticisms because he was considered too lucky to celebrate Ronaldo's style right in front of CR7.
Almost immediately, the Man United star had to post a report to fix everything. Hojlund said he did not mean to tease or disregard Ronaldo, all of which were temporary emotions. On the contrary, the Danish striker himself believes CR7 is the biggest idol of his life.
"I celebrate like that to honor my idol. I didn't do it to mock him. Ronaldo has had a huge impact on me throughout my playing career. Ronaldo's goal against the Portuguese national team was a very memorable opportunity.
I have been impressed and admired Ronaldo since a free kick in 2009. Since then, I have always been a loyal fan. I always wish I had the opportunity to celebrate like Ronaldo, especially when facing directly. Not because I am attractive or cheating, that shows the greatest respect. People can call me a huge fan of hers," Hojlund told Danish channel TV2.
In contrast to the 2023-2024 season, Hojlund has had a very poor scoring form this season. He has only scored 3 goals in the Premier League after 24 matches. Hojlund's form in the Europa League is better when he has scored 5 goals in 10 matches. However, that is too little for the former Atalanta star to be the only centre forward in the squad.
"Many people will think this is an exaggeration, but in fact, Ronaldo is everything for me in my career. I love this sport for him, became a Man United fan and started training for Ronaldo.
I have learned the habit of doing crunches every day before bed because I want to be as good as Ronaldo in the future" - Hojlund shared.
This is not the first time an opposing player has imitated Ronaldo's famous celebration when facing the 40-year-old superstar. Osman Bukari of the Ghana team imitated this celebration in the 2-3 loss to Portugal at the 2022 World Cup.
