CRISTIANO RONALDO once refused to swap shirts with Robin Gosens, leaving the German star ‘feeling small’.
But Gosens, now 28, had the last laugh when he scored in the 4-2 defeat of Germans against Portugal – also take home the Man of the Match prize – at Euro 2020.
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And this time, he didn’t even ask the Man Utd star for his top.
In 2020, he said: “I did not ask Cristiano Ronaldo for his shirt because I want to take advantage of this victory and tonight.”
Ronaldo brought Portugal on a kite by flattening out a swift counterattack.
But two own goals, an attack from Kai Havertz and a cherry on top from Gosens meant that Diogo Jota’s goal – from an assist from Ronaldo – was only a consolation.
And for Gosens he would have been doubly happy with the three points in the Group of Death
Earlier in his career, Gosens revealed he was trying to fulfill a lifelong dream of swapping shirts with his idol, Ronaldo, after joining Juventus in Serie A in 2018 – only to get wrapped up.
In his biography Dreams are worthwhile, Gosens recalls: “After the match against Juventus, I tried to realize my dream of having Ronaldo’s jersey.
“After the final whistle, I went to him, even though I hadn’t even gone to the audience to celebrate.
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“But Ronaldo didn’t accept it.
“I asked, ‘Cristiano, can I have your shirt?’
“He didn’t even look at me, he just said, ‘No!'”
“I blushed and was ashamed. I left feeling small.
“You know that moment when something embarrassing happens and you look around to see if anyone noticed?
“That’s what I felt and tried to hide it.”
But Gosens had nothing to hide after his great performance against Portugal, saying: “It is definitely an unforgettable evening for me.
“We beat a very strong team and scored my first goal in this tournament, as well as an assist. I’m happy and proud.
“We knew we had to win today, if we lost it would be very difficult to qualify.
“We tried to give everything, both offensively and defensively, and I’m happy we won.”
Unbelievable, Gosens has NEVER lost in the six games he played against Ronaldo.
Atalanta won one and three of their four Serie A games against Juventus, and also won the quarter-finals of the 2019 Coppa Italia before Germany defeat Portugal at the euro.
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