Cristiano responds to jeering fans
Cristiano Ronaldo was singled out by Atletico Madrid fans on Wednesday as Juventus lost 2-0 in the Champions League last 16 but the former Real Madrid forward was quick to point out his stellar record in the competition.
“I won five Champions Leagues and these guys zero,” Ronaldo told reporters after the game, holding up his hand in the shape of a ‘zero’ to drive home his point.
The Portuguese forward was jeered throughout the match at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, where Atletico got late goals from Uruguayan defenders Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin to take a vital lead into the return leg on March 12.
He responded to the taunts by holding up five fingers to indicate the number of times he had won the competition, four times with arch-rivals Real and once with Manchester United.
Atletico have reached the final of Europe’s elite club competition three times but never lifted the trophy.
They lost to Ronaldo’s Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has apologised for his ‘cojones’ celebration during Atletico Madrid’s victory.
The Argentinean turned to his own supporters and grabbed his crotch with both hands after Jose Maria Gimenez had bundled home the opening goal.
It was a moment of relief on a frustrating night for the Spanish side, who had already seen a penalty decision overturned by VAR and an Alvaro Morata header ruled out for a push by the same process.
But despite his over-exuberant celebration, the 48-year-old insists that the actions were not aimed at the opposition, revealing it's a gesture he's used in the past.
“I did it as a player in Lazio against Bologna and I did it again to show our fans that we have cojones,” he told reporters.
“It wasn't aimed at the other team, I was turning towards our own supporters.