Cristiano Ronaldo Finds Support From Unlikely Source: Portugal’s Opponent

In the face of his international exile, Cristiano Ronaldo has found a supporter from one of Portugal’s European rivals, Denmark striker Rasmus Højlund.

The former Manchester United forward scored against a Portugal side freshly stripped of their record-breaking captain on Thursday night and celebrated with Ronaldo’s signature ‘Siuuuu’ move. Rather than a taunt directed at the absent icon, Højlund was quick to explain that he was paying “tribute” to his “great idol.”

Portugal had a 2–1 lead at the start of the second half in Copenhagen after flowing team moves had been converted by João Cancelo and, most pertinently, Gonçalo Ramos, the man who Jorge Jesus has chosen to replace the sulking Ronaldo. Within 10 minutes of the restart, Højlund equalized for the hosts and wheeled away to deliver a poignant celebration.

“It’s just a tribute to a man who might be finished with his international career—after what happened,” Højlund outlined to Danish outlet TV 2, referring to Ronaldo’s sensational international walkout on Wednesday. “So, I just wanted to pay tribute to him once again. It has nothing to do with a lack of respect. He is my great idol.”

HØJLUUUUNDDD!!!

Rasmus Højlund afslutter et dansk kontraangreb med et frækt lob over den portugisiske keeper 🤩#ForDanmark pic.twitter.com/pkuN5TWbOk
— Fodboldlandsholdene 🇩🇰 (@dbulandshold) October 1, 2026

This is not Højlund’s first deployment of the ‘Siuuuu’ celebration. Back in March 2025, the Napoli forward performed the same spinning leap in a 1–0 win while Ronaldo was on the field. Once again, Højlund stressed that it was a sign of respect rather than anything more sinister. “I remember him scoring from a free kick in 2009 when I was there watching the match, and I’ve been a huge Cristiano fan ever since,” he explained at the time.

At least Ronaldo can count upon one fan. There appear to be increasingly few in Portugal.

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Cristiano Ronaldo walking. — Has Cristiano Ronaldo played his last game for Portugal? | Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images

Even in the wake of a 4–2 victory, Ronaldo was the only topic of conversation for the Portuguese contingent. It’s not often that the figurehead of the national team for the last two decades storms out of camp after being left on the bench for one game (which Portugal won) amid reports of broken promises and burned bridges.

Renato Veiga, however, let it slip that he had been urged to not speak about his compatriot and close friend.

“I am very close to Ronaldo, and he knows I have great respect for him, but I’ve been told I’m not allowed to talk about him,” Veiga admitted after Thursday’s win.

Portugal manager Jesus tried to be similarly tight-lipped. “I have nothing to say about it,” he shot back at the first of countless questions about the nation’s all-time top scorer. “No one is bigger than the team; that is crystal clear.”

“Everyone must respect the rules,” Jesus pointedly added. “It has always been my philosophy as a coach that no one is above the team.”

“In my opinion, today was one of the best matches in a long time,” the Portugal boss was at pains to point out. “We also have to remember that we are winning without Cris and that is what matters. It is the team that wins.”

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