Friday November 12th 2021
Hug and jersey for free
Little speedster cries thanks to Ronaldo
It’s the heartiest scene of the World Cup qualifier between Ireland and Portugal. The hosts defy the favorite from a draw, but it only gets emotional after the final whistle: Because a young girl runs to superstar Cristiano Ronaldo on the lawn – and is rewarded for it.
In terms of sport, the World Cup qualifier between Ireland and Portugal did not find a winner. Emotionally, however, the big winner is Addison Whelan, is 13 years old and an Irish woman with a great fable for Cristiano Ronaldo. She was able to get very close to her star – and even got his jersey as a gift.
Usually speedsters aren’t something you want to see on the soccer field. But several people in Dublin turned a blind eye to the girl. After the final whistle, Whelan stormed past the stewards onto the field and ran in the direction of Ronaldo. The Manchester United superstar reacted completely calmly, even preventing the stewards from stopping the girl. On the contrary: when Whelan stood in front of him, he pulled her into a tight hug, finally took off his jersey and gave it to her.
“My dream came true,” Whelan told Irish radio station RTÉ Radio One, explaining how she had experienced the meeting: “I called Ronaldo’s name, he turned and saw me and told the stewards to let me with him. Me was in shock and cried. ” Then she asked for his jersey and he replied “Okay”. “When my father saw how he took off his shirt, his face was shocked,” said the 13-year-old, who was in the stadium with her father, who is a football coach.
He told the Irish newspaper “Independent” that they had prepared: “We had a large banner and hung it up a few times, but it didn’t really come near us, but we had a plan,” said Peter Whelan. “Ten minutes before the end of the game the stewards got up and turned to us. I looked at one of them, winked at him and said, ‘Any chance?’ And he said, ‘No chance.'”
But the steward had done the bill without Addison Whelan and her shrewd father: “As soon as the whistle sounded, I said to her, ‘You know where he is, go,’ and she just ran over the cordon and was gone.” Neither he nor his daughter was afraid: “Not at all, she is crazy.” Crazy enough to take Ronaldo’s jersey to bed that night, Peter Whelan said.
Portugal one point is enough
Incidentally, Addison Whelan made her escape from the stands to the field much smarter than any other speedster. He had tried to get to Ronaldo during the game. The 36-year-old found that less funny, he avoided the man. It was finally brought from the field by stewards.
For Ronaldo, the cute scene after the end of the lazy game was almost the most exciting. In his 183rd international match, he could not use the chance to further expand his goal world record, which remains at 115 goals. Nevertheless, Portugal has come a little closer to the World Cup ticket. In the group final on Sunday (8.45 p.m. / DAZN and in the ntv.de live ticker) At the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, a draw against Serbia is enough for the Portuguese to win the World Cup. The Serbs are tied, but have the worse goal difference.
However, Ronaldo and Co. have to do without record man Pepe. At 38 years, 8 months and 16 days, the defender had surpassed the mark in the game against Ireland as the oldest player to ever wear the jersey of the Portuguese national team – but Pepe also saw yellow and red and is suspended.