Cristiano Ronaldo narrowly escaped serious injury after a fan jumped from the stands and landed in front of him following Portugal’s Euro 2024 loss to Georgia.
Although Portugal had already secured a spot in the knockouts before their match against Georgia in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday night, coach Roberto Martinez still chose to start Ronaldo.
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However, the legendary forward couldn’t prevent a surprising 2-0 defeat.
Ronaldo’s frustration was evident when he was substituted in the 66th minute, marking the first major tournament in which he failed to score during the group stage.
Surprisingly, this wasn’t the most shocking event of the 39-year-old’s night.
After the match, as Ronaldo was heading down the tunnel, a fan jumped from the stands and crash-landed right in front of him.
The fan would have landed directly on Ronaldo if not for the quick and brave actions of a steward who threw himself in front of the player to protect him.
Ronaldo was visibly stunned by the frightening incident but emerged uninjured. The fate of the fan remains unknown.
This incident raises further concerns about security at the Euros, particularly concerning Ronaldo.
During Portugal’s win over Turkey, the game was repeatedly interrupted by pitch invaders.
A young fan asking for a selfie with Ronaldo was the first of at least six supporters who ran onto the field, hoping to get close to their hero, causing Ronaldo to become increasingly irritated.
‘It’s a concern because today we were lucky that the intentions of the fans were good,’ Martinez said after the Turkey match.
‘I think we all love a fan that recognises that big star and the big icons, but you can understand that there is a very, very difficult moment if those intentions are wrong.’
The manager added: ‘Cristiano is an experienced player, having spent more than 20 years in the national team.
‘He knows the meaning of support very well, not only from fans of the national team, but also from football fans. Intrusions are dangerous and not good for the image of football, they are not part of the game we want to see.’
