'Cristiano, give me a hug': Ronaldo stops team bus to take photo with sick young fan (VIDEO)
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo showed his soft side on Saturday as he asked the team bus driver to stop so he could take a picture with a leukaemia-stricken child who was holding a banner bearing his name.
Ronaldo and Portugal face the Netherlands in Sunday's Nations League Final to determine the inaugural winner of UEFA's new international tournament but even with another trophy firmly in the Portuguese's sights, he still had time to pay tribute to one of his young fans.
Also on rt.com ‘A football genius’: Portugal boss Santos leads Ronaldo praise after hat-trick heroicsAfter a training session at the Estadio do Bessa in Porto on Saturday, the Juventus forward noticed a young fan - 11-year-old Eduardo Moreira - holding a banner reading 'Cristiano, give me a hug'.
Seizing the heartwarming moment, Ronaldo asked the team driver to delay plans to travel back to the team hotel and invited the youngster aboard the bus where he posed for photos and videos with Moreira, who reports state has been suffering from the illness for a decade.
Cristiano Ronaldo stopped Portugal’s team bus to meet 11-year-old Eduardo Moreira. Eduardo is suffering from an incurable blood disease and was holding up a sign asking Ronaldo for a hug ❤️ pic.twitter.com/eof1RjjiiR
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 9, 2019
Ronaldo, winner of practically every trophy available in the club game, will look to add another international honor to his ever-expanding trophy cabinet with a win in the debut iteration of the Nations League on Sunday evening.
He scored all three goals as Portugal routed Switzerland in their semi-final, while the Dutch piled more semi-final misery on Gareth Southgate's England with a 3-1 win after extra time on Thursday.
The match promises to be a mouth-watering encounter, not least because of the potential battle between Ronaldo and the Netherlands' outstanding center-half combo of Virgil Van Dijk and Matthijs De Ligt.
