Although Portugal’s draw in their World Cup qualifier left fans disappointed, Cristiano Ronaldo won hearts online after giving his jersey to a little girl who had run onto the pitch to hug him after the match.
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After the former European champions went up against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, and was forced to share a point with the host, the fan evaded security and came onto the pitch. Wearing an Ireland jersey, she sprinted across the field towards Ronaldo to hug him.
Ground security was about to take her away when the striker intervened, patting her head and hugging her before taking off his shirt to give it to his little fan.
Watch the moment here:
Although lucky to get the jersey, she, however, wasn’t the only pitch invader during the qualifier. Earlier, another young man jumped past security, ran onto the field, and stormed directly at the 36-year-old. He was quickly dragged away by the stewards.
However, the young girl thought her actions could lead to a hefty penalty of around £2,500. Luckily, for the 11-year-old, identified as Addison, the Whelan Football Association of Ireland (FAI) released a statement to confirm that no action has been taken against her, The 42 reported.
“We want to reassure Addison that of course she will not face any fine for running onto the pitch and asking for Ronaldo’s jersey,” said Cathal Dervan, the FAI’s Media & Football Relations Director. However, the association urged fans to refrain from future encroachments.
“I jumped over the barrier because I was in the second row. I jumped over the first row and over the barrier,” the young girl told RTE Radio 1. Describing the thrilling moment, she added how the security personnel chased her and how Ronaldo asked them to leave her.
“So then I was calling him over. He came over to me. I was just in shock and crying and I was like ‘can I have your jersey? Please, please. I’m a big, huge fan’.”
She said her “dream came true” last night after the famous Portuguese footballer gave her his jersey, according to Independent.ie. The report added that she also walked away with tickets to see her favourite team Arsenal play at the Emirates Stadium in London after the viral moment.
