Cristiano Ronaldo had a close call with an overzealous fan who leapt from the crowd in an attempt to get close to the soccer star during Portugal's match against Georgia at the European Championship on Wednesday. The incident was caught on video, which quickly spread across social media. It shows a fan jumping over the top of the players’ tunnel at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen as Ronaldo made his way to the locker room, according to AP.
A safety steward swiftly moved to protect the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star, while other security personnel rushed towards the fan, who then fell out of sight. Ronaldo, looking bemused, stopped momentarily but appeared unharmed. Despite this unsettling moment, Portugal suffered a 2-0 defeat in the match.
The Portuguese Football Federation acknowledged the incident but chose not to comment further. UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, confirmed its awareness of the event. Ronaldo, one of the world's most recognized sports figures, boasts a massive following, including 632 million Instagram followers and nearly 112 million on X.
This wasn't the first fan encounter for Ronaldo during the tournament. In a previous match against Turkey in Dortmund, he was approached on the field by four supporters seeking selfies. Although Ronaldo graciously posed with a young fan who managed to evade stewards in the 69th minute, he showed visible frustration when more fans approached him later in the game and after the final whistle.
Portugal's coach, Roberto Martinez, expressed his concerns about Ronaldo's safety after the match, highlighting the potential dangers of such fan interactions. "We all love a fan that recognizes the big stars and the big icons in their minds," he said. "But you can understand it was a very, very difficult moment—if those intentions are wrong, the players are exposed and we need to be careful with that."
UEFA emphasized that safety and security in the stadium are their top priorities. They announced plans to deploy additional security measures to prevent fans from breaching the field in search of selfies.
Ronaldo, now 39 years old and playing for the Saudi Arabian team Al Nassr, is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, alongside legends like Lionel Messi, Pele, and Diego Maradona. He has won the Ballon d’Or five times and is a six-time Champions League winner. Notably, Ronaldo is the first player to appear in six European Championships. Although he hasn't scored in this year's tournament yet, he holds the record for the most goals at the Euros with 14.
Ronaldo also has a chance to become the oldest player to score at a European Championship, potentially surpassing Luka Modric, who set the record with his goal for Croatia against Italy at the age of 38 years and 289 days.
Despite the unexpected loss to Georgia, Portugal has advanced to the knockout phase of Euro 2024. They are set to face Slovenia in the round of 16 in Frankfurt on Monday.