Portugal captain hopes to show Hojlund and Denmark his celebration as both sides meet in the Nations League quarters.
Cristiano Ronaldo has responded to Rasmus Hojlund’s imitation of his famous “Siu” celebration, saying it was an honour to see the Denmark striker mimic it during their UEFA Nations League clash.
“For me, it was not a problem,” Ronaldo said on Saturday, before the second leg of their quarterfinal.
“I knew that this was not because he did not have respect for me.
“I’m smart enough to understand that not only him but around the world people from other sports also do my celebration,” the Portuguese star told reporters before the clash on Sunday.
“For me, it is an honour.
“But [on Sunday] I hope that he can see my celebration. It is OK for me. If I score, it’s good for me, but if I don’t score and someone else scores, that’s fine with me.”
Hojlund scored the winning goal against Portugal in the first leg of their quarterfinal on Thursday and leapt up in the air for his own version of the “Siu” celebration but said he was not trying to make fun of his “idol”.
The Manchester United forward’s 78th-minute strike earned Denmark a 1-0 first-leg win over Ronaldo’s Portugal, with the 40-year-old veteran striker completely frozen out at the other end on a frustrating night.
“I’m playing against the world’s best footballer, my idol, and to score and become the [match] winner, it couldn’t be better,” Hojlund told Denmark’s TV2.
“It was not to mock him or anything, I’ve always said he has had great importance for me and my football career.
“Scoring against him and Portugal is huge, I went to see him in 2009, where he scored from a free kick, and I’ve been a fan ever since.”
‘No need to be nervous’
Meanwhile, Ronaldo acknowledged the pressure surrounding Portugal as they look to overturn the deficit.
The Al-Nassr striker was highly critical of himself and his team’s performance in the first leg in Copenhagen but he is confident the home crowd can play a key role in turning the tie around.
“The air is more tense. I’m not hiding it. We’re in a tense moment because we need to win, but that’s the beautiful thing about football,” Ronaldo told reporters on Saturday.
“Tomorrow, I’m calling on the fans to be with us. Let them give us their strength, because we’re going to try to do our best.
“I’ve lost games in 90 minutes, but I’ve never lost in the first leg. There are games like that, there are bad days. I didn’t play at all the other day, the team didn’t play at all, but it’s part of life.
“Tomorrow I want to leave the Alvalade Stadium with my head held high. If I score, I’ll be happy, but if I don’t score, let someone else score, what I want is for Portugal to win.”
Ronaldo denied any lack of attitude in the team and was confident they could unite and progress to the semifinals.
“There’s always attitude in the national team. Technical aspects, of course, but other things were lacking too. That’s football, you can’t always play well,” he said.
“There’s no need to be nervous. The past is the past. I know there are a lot of people who want us to lose, but if the few who are there are united and have good energy, I’m sure we’ll get a great result tomorrow.
“We lost the game and played badly, but we have the second leg tomorrow. Calm down. Think positive and think that things will go well.”
