☰
Rasmus Hojlund celebrated his winning goal against Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo's 'Siu' celebration, sparking debate.
Denmark forward Rasmus Hojlund revealed the reason behind celebrating his goal with Cristiano Ronaldo’s famous ‘Siu’ celebration in front of the legend during the team’s National League quarterfinal win against Portugal at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Thursday, March 20.
Rasmus Hojlund emerged as the hero for Denmark as he netted a crucial goal in the 78th minute to seal a 1-0 win in the first leg of the quarterfinal against Portugal. Throughout the first half of the quarterfinal, Denmark and Portugal put up a good fight as both teams created multiple goal-scoring opportunities but failed to find the back of the net.
Also read: Can Mbappe replace Ronaldo and Messi? Real Madrid star's response may surprise you
In the second half of the quarterfinal, it seemed like the encounter was heading for a draw until Rasmus Hojlund managed to find the back of the net after a pass from Andreas Skov Olsen to give Denmark a lead before the team sealed the victory against Portugal. As soon as Hojlund netted a crucial goal for Denmark, the 22-year-old forward ran towards the corner flag and did a ‘Siu’ celebration, jumping into the air before landing with his arms stretched out, just like how Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates.
Rasmus Hojlund hit Cristiano Ronaldo 's Siuuu Celebration after he gave Denmark victory against Portugal
Disrespect! pic.twitter.com/sMG7xApzC9 https://t.co/XpBjMs1dsi
This was not the first time that a footballer did Cristiano Ronaldo’s ‘Siu’ celebration on the pitch, as several players have paid tribute to the Portuguese football legend mimicking his iconic celebration over the years. Ronaldo’s Siu celebration has become quite popular, even players from other sports too began to do his iconic celebration to celebrate the win or an achievement.
The first time Ronaldo came up with an iconic celebration was during his time at Real Madrid in 2013 after scoring a goal against Chelsea in the International Champions Cup at the ard Rock Stadium in Miami. Since then, the ‘Siu’ celebration has become synonymous with Ronaldo. Though it is a unique and trademark celebration of a Portuguese football legend, the people, fans and players across the world began to mimic his iconic celebration.
Rasmus Hojlund received a massive backlash and criticism for celebrating his goal with ‘Siu’ celebration in front of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, the 22-year-old revealed the reason behind his celebration.
Speaking ahead of the match, Hojlund stated that because of Cristiano Ronaldo he picked up football and desired to join Manchester United, where the Portuguese football legend became an icon. The Denmark and Manchester United footballer clarified that it was an act of tribute to Ronaldo rather than a disrespectful gesture.
“Now I'm not going to exaggerate, but Cristiano is everything to me,” Hojlund told Danish outlet DR.
“I fell in love with football because of Cristiano, I became a Manchester United fan because of Cristiano.
“I started self-training because of Cristiano, I started doing push-ups and sit-ups every day before I went to bed, because of Cristiano, because I wanted to be Cristiano.” he added.
In the Summer of 2023, Rasmus Hojlund's dream came true by joining his idol’s club Manchester United for £72million. He revealed how his father and former footballer Anders Hojlund wanted him to idolize Cristiano Ronaldo. He also spoke about the impact Ronaldo had on his development.
“My father introduced me when I was not so young. He introduced me to Cristiano Ronaldo, and wanted me to idolise him because he has a good mentality,” Hojlund said.
“That's the reason he achieved so much in his career and for me is the best player ever. He had the talent but it's how hard he worked.
“I've seen a few interviews with ex-Manchester United players and they all said he wasn't a complete footballer when he came. He was skillful, but he developed.” he added.
subscribe to Asianet Newsable WhatsApp channel by clicking here.