Rasmus Hojlund says that he was “not trying to mock” Cristiano Ronaldo when he celebrated his winning goal against Portugal by copying the forward’s ‘siu’ celebration.
Hojlund, 22, came off the bench for Denmark to score a 78th-minute winner against Portugal in their 1-0 Nations League quarter-final first-leg victory in Copenhagen on Thursday night.
The Manchester United striker celebrated by mimicking former United forward Ronaldo’s celebration, but the Dane has since confirmed that he did not intend to mock the 40-year-old.
“It was for my idol,” Hojlund explained to Danish broadcaster TV2. “It wasn’t because I wanted to mock him or anything. He’s had such a big impact on me and my football career. It might be a bit ambivalent, but to score against him and Portugal, it’s huge.
“I remember him scoring from a free kick in 2009 when I went to watch the match and since then, I’ve been a huge Cristiano fan.
“I’ve always dreamed of doing Ronaldo’s celebation, especially against him. It’s not because it would be gloating, but more to show some respect. I’m a bit of a fanboy, if you can call it that.”
Hojlund has struggled for form this season for United, scoring just three goals in 24 games in the Premier League this campaign.
The Denmark international joined the club in the summer of 2023, nine months after Ronaldo left the club for the second time in November 2022.
Hojlund praised the Al Nassr striker before the game, telling Danish outlet DR: “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. (I did this) because I wanted to be Cristiano.”
This is not the first time an opposition player has copied Ronaldo’s renowned celebration while playing against him. Ghana’s Osman Bukari copied it during a 3-2 defeat to Portugal in the 2022 World Cup.
Following criticism of the gesture, the then 23-year-old said: “I have noticed my celebration today has generated comments claiming I was disrespectful towards Ronaldo. This is incorrect.
“I was overcome by the emotion of the moment of scoring for my country on my World Cup debut leading to my celebration. My upbringing doesn’t permit me to be disrespectful to elders, let alone one of my idols.”
Denmark will face Portugal again in the second leg of their quarter-final tie on Sunday. The game will be played at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Portugal.
(Top photo: Joern Pollex – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
