Cristiano Ronaldo's true feelings on Man Utd star Rasmus Hojlund copying celebration

Cristiano Ronaldo's true feelings on Man Utd star Rasmus Hojlund copying celebration

Rasmus Hojlund threatened to ruffle Cristiano Ronaldo’s feathers after stealing the Man United icon’s celebration and the two come together on the pitch once again on Sunday evening

Cristiano Ronaldo speaks in a Portugal press conference (Image: Getty Images )

Cristiano Ronaldo has already admitted he ‘loves it’ when players copy his celebration ahead of a reunion with Rasmus Hojlund. The Manchester United striker went viral earlier this week as he emulated the Portuguese veteran.

After scoring in Denmark’s 1-0 UEFA Nations League quarter-final win against Portugal, Hojlund chose to execute his own version of Ronaldo ’s trademark ‘siu’ celebration. The Al-Nassr forward was only yards away with some believing it may have left him slightly annoyed,

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But the veteran has already revealed he feels it is a case of imitation being the most sincere form of flattery. Speaking in 2023, Ronaldo explained that he is honoured when fellow professionals choose to copy his celebration.

Speaking to LiveScore, he said: "It seems to have grown into its own global phenomenon - and I love when I see other players doing it, or people send me videos of people in other sports doing it or little kids doing it - it's great. It means yes - very simple but meaning it strongly!"

And Hojlund, who has now scored in his last two appearances for club and country, has insisted that the celebration was an effort to honour Ronaldo instead of mock him. As quoted by TV2, the Danish forward said: "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.

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Cristiano Ronaldo sends clear warning as Rasmus Hojlund copies iconic celebration READ MORE:

"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."

Speaking ahead of the first-leg between Denmark and Portugal, Hojlund made his idolisation of Ronaldo very clear. Speaking to DR, the striker said: “Now I'm not going to exaggerate, but Cristiano is everything to me.

“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.”

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Rasmus Hojlund copies Cristiano Ronaldo's celebration against Portugal (Image: Getty Images )

Who will win between Portugal and Denmark? Share your predictions in the comments below

He added: “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. That's the reason he achieved so much in his career and for me is the best player ever.

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“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.”

Despite his admiration, Hojlund will certainly be aiming to get the better of Ronaldo once again this weekend. Portugal and Denmark come together in Lisbon on Sunday, with the winner progressing to the UEFA Nations League semi finals.

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