Cristiano Ronaldo ‘lucky’ not to come to harm after selfie-seekers confront him, coach says

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo ought to think about himself fortunate to have come to no hurt after being confronted on the sector by 4 supporters who needed selfies throughout a European Championship match on Saturday, Portugal coach Roberto Martinez stated.

The alarming string of safety breaches occurred within the second half of Portugal’s 3-0 win over Turkey in Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion.

Ronaldo was blissful to pose for a selfie with a younger fan who evaded stewards to get on the sector within the 69th minute earlier than whipping out his cellular phone.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo was clearly sad when two extra folks tried to do the identical within the remaining minutes of the sport. Then one other individual — sporting a purple Portugal jersey — bought near the 39-year-old striker for {a photograph} moments after the ultimate whistle.

Two extra folks then tried to confront Ronaldo as he walked off the sector along with his teammates however had been held again by safety on these events.

“It’s a concern,” Martinez stated, “as a result of in the present day we had been fortunate that the intentions of the followers had been good.

“All of us love a fan that acknowledges the massive stars and the massive icons of their minds. All of us agree with that. However you possibly can perceive it was a really, very tough second — if these intentions are flawed, the gamers are uncovered and we should be cautious with that. I don’t assume that ought to occur on a soccer pitch.”

Martinez stated it was essential to ship a message to followers that this habits was not acceptable.

“It’s not the best approach, you’re not going to get something out of it,” Martinez added. “And what you do might be the measures worsen for the long run.

“It’s not good to get the gamers so uncovered when you’ve folks working on the pitch.”

Bernardo Silva, Ronaldo’s teammate and a scorer towards Turkey, stated he was “not likely involved” concerning the supporters who bought on the sector.

“It’s only a bit annoying when it comes to having to cease the sport as a result of a fan enters the pitch,” Silva stated. “That’s the value you pay for being so acknowledged on this planet of soccer.

“By way of feeling at risk, no. Not me personally.”

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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024