Rasmus Hojlund has denied claims that his post-goal celebration copied Cristiano Ronaldo’s actions during the Denmark vs. Portugal Nations League match on Thursday.
Hojlund finished a good play by the team. Andreas Skov Olsen saw him and passed the ball to him perfectly.
He then gently kicked it into the bottom corner of the goal, scoring against Diogo Costa. This showed how well the team worked together to create a scoring chance.
The Manchester United striker put an end to his scoring slump by finding the net in their recent match against Leicester City to propel Denmark closer to reaching the competition semi-finals.
Hojlund shared his feelings to reporters post-match while discussing the extensive impact Ronaldo has had on his professional journey up to that point.
“It wasn&t to mock him or anything. He’s had such a huge impact on me and my football career. Maybe it’s a bit ambivalent, but to score against him and Portugal, it’s huge.” Hojlund said.
“I remember him scoring from a free kick in 2011 when I went to watch the match, and since then I’ve been a huge Cristiano fan.” Hojlund added.
Hojlund joined The Red Devils during the summer of 2023. This happened nine months after Ronaldo departed from the team for a second time in November 2022.
It’s uncertain if Ronaldo was happy about Hojlund doing the same celebration at the exact same time, but it’s obvious Hojlund didn’t mean any harm. Interestingly,
Ronaldo, who only managed 30 touches and two shots on goal, stayed on the ground for the entire 90 minutes.
The first match between Denmark and Portugal for UEFA Nations League quarter-finals took place at Copenhagen.
Portugal entered the matchup with stronger players on the roster despite Denmark’s 1-0 victory through Hojlund’s goal.
