The coach believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is “lucky” that he was not hurt when he was approached by people taking selfies.
Germany’s Dortmund (AP) — During a European Championship play on Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo was accosted on the pitch by four fans who demanded photos. Portugal coach Roberto Martinez remarked that Ronaldo should count himself lucky that he escaped unharmed.
In the 69th minute, a young fan slipped by stewards to enter the field, and Ronaldo was glad to take a photo with him using his phone.
When two further players attempted to do the same in the closing minutes of the match, Ronaldo was obviously not thrilled about it. Shortly after the final whistle, a second guy, donning a red Portugal jersey, approached the 39-year-old striker for a picture.
Then, while Ronaldo and his teammates were walking off the field, two more people tried to approach him, but security stopped them both.
Martinez expressed worry, saying, “We were fortunate today because the supporters’ intentions were positive.
“Everyone enjoys a fan who has a mental image of the great stars and idols. That is something that we can all agree upon. However, you have to admit that it was an extremely trying time; if those intentions are incorrect, the players will be revealed, therefore we must proceed with caution. That shouldn’t happen on a football field, in my opinion.
Martinez stated that it was critical to let the spectators know that such actions were unacceptable.
Martinez said, “It’s not the right way, and you won’t get anything out of it.” “And as a result of what you do, the measures most likely go worse going forward.
“Having players so exposed while people are running on the field is not good.”
The teammate of Ronaldo who scored against Turkey, Bernardo Silva, expressed that he was “not really concerned” about the fans that entered the pitch.
“Having to halt the game because a fan walks onto the field is a little annoying,” Silva remarked. “That’s the cost of having such widespread recognition in the football community.