New footage shows what happened between pitch invader and Cristiano Ronaldo amid 'attack' claims | OneFootball

New footage clears up what happened during the concerning first-half incident involving Cristiano Ronaldo and a pitch invader which occurred in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina on Monday.

Portugal were 4-0 up in the 39th minute when Ronaldo was left slightly hurt following the incident. Stewards quickly intervened, though, and led the pitch invader away.

A thread on Reddit titled ‘Pitch invader attacks Ronaldo’ attracted hundreds of comments, while tweets with similar claims soon spread across X (formerly known as Twitter). Fans were understandably concerned from the footage that was broadcast live on TV. Watch it here:

Ronaldo was left in some discomfort following the incident but was fortunately able to play on. The 38-year-old, making his 203rd appearance for his country, scored his 126th and 127th international goals during Portugal’s emphatic Euro 2024 qualifier in Zenica.

His former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes also got on the scoresheet, as did Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix - all before half-time. Ronaldo and his compatriots will be in the hat for December’s Euro 2024 group stage draw.

Portugal secured qualification for the tournament after last Friday’s 3-2 victory over Slovakia. Ronaldo, who is set to be competing at his 14th major international tournament next summer, wrote on Instagram: “We’re at EURO 2024! Very happy to help Portugal reach another final stage of a great competition. A special thanks to the Portuguese Football Federation and to the fans present at the stadium for the beautiful tribute!”

How many goals has Ronaldo scored in 2023?

Despite his advancing years, Ronaldo remains one of the world’s most prolific goalscorers. Indeed, no player has scored more goals (40) than the five-time Ballon d’Or winner over the course of 2023 so far. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland has 39 goals to his name this calendar year, while Paris Saint-Germain’s world-class forward Kylian Mbappe has 35.

Ronaldo, who left Man Utd for Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr at the start of the year, netted 14 goals in 19 games during his debut campaign for his current employers. And he has 17 goals from 17 games during his second season so far. It’s fair to say the legendary forward has silenced many of his critics after leaving European football for Saudi Arabia.

He remains one of the most popular athletes on the planet and it’s not a huge shock that people are prepared to invade the pitch in order to share a moment with one of the greatest footballers of all time. There was a similar incident involving a pitch invader during the game against Slovakia, where a fan managed to get a selfie with Portugal’s iconic number seven.

New footage emerges

Back to the incident against Bosnia-Herzegovina and fresh footage, recorded by someone in the stands, gives a closer look and shows what actually happened. As Ronaldo took a throw-in, the pitch invader ran over and tried to get a selfie with the global superstar.

Security were quick on the scene though and Ronaldo, during the commotion, appeared to have his foot trodden on, leaving him in some pain. Watch the footage below: