- Hojlund came off the bench to score the winner for Denmark against Portugal
- The Man United striker had spoken about his admiration for Ronaldo pre-match
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Cristiano Ronaldo was left watching on as Rasmus Hojlund performed his iconic ‘siu’ celebration in front of him after the Man United forward scored Denmark’s winner against Portugal on Thursday night.
Hojlund came off the bench for Denmark in the first leg of their Nations League quarter-final tie against Portugal.
The forward scored 12 minutes from time to earn the Danes a 1-0 victory, with Hojlund converting following a pass from Andreas Skov Olsen.
Hojlund, who had come on just nine minutes earlier, was then seen wheeling away to celebrate with his team-mates.
The 22-year-old copied Ronaldo’s trademark celebration by the corner flag, with the veteran Portugal star left watching on from the centre circle.
Hojlund’s celebration appears to have been a tribute to Ronaldo, despite netting the winner against the Man United’s favourite’s side.
Rasmus Hojlund copied Cristiano Ronaldo’s celebration after scoring against Portugal
Hojlund copied the ‘Siu’ celebration in tribute despite nettiing against Ronaldo’s Portugal
The Man United forward has spoken about his admiration for Ronaldo growing up
The Dane had previously been open in his admiration for Ronaldo when growing up.
‘Now I’m not going to exaggerate, but Cristiano is everything to me,’ Hojlund told Danish outlet DR ahead of the match.
‘I fell in love with football because of Cristiano, I became a Manchester United fan because of Cristiano.
‘I started self-training because of Cristiano, I started doing push-ups and sit-ups every day before I went to bed, because of Cristiano, because I wanted to be Cristiano.’
After joining Man United in a £72million move in the summer of 2023, Hojlung revealed how his father had wanted him to idolise Ronaldo.
Hojlund revealed the impact Ronaldo had on his development, citing how his work ethic had contributed to his success.
‘My father introduced me when I was not so young. He introduced me to Cristiano Ronaldo, and wanted me to idolise him because he has a good mentality,’ Hojlund said.
‘That’s the reason he achieved so much in his career and for me is the best player ever. He had the talent but it’s how hard he worked.
Hojlund’s effort was the only goal as Denmark beat Portugal 1-0 in the Nations League
The forward has scored in back-to-back games having ended a 21 match goalscoring drought
Ronaldo and Portugal will aim for revenge when they host Denmark in Sunday’s second leg
‘I’ve seen a few interviews with ex-Manchester United players and they all said he wasn’t a complete footballer when he came. He was skillful, but he developed.’
Hojlund’s effort against Portugal has given Denmark a slender advantage for the second leg of their Nations League quarter-final tie.
Portugal will host the second leg on Sunday.
The goal will be a major boost to Hojlund’s confidence, after the forward had ended a 21 match drought in his last appearance for Man United ahead of the international break, a 3-0 win over Leicester.
