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Football

10th Jun 2018

Young fan moved to tears after slipping by security and hugging Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best footballers to ever play but away from the sport he's earned praise for how he handles himself

Jack O'Toole

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best footballers to ever play but away from the sport he’s earned praise for how he handles himself

The Portuguese forward was awarded the European golden boot in 2011 but sold the award and donated the proceeds to charity. He did exactly the same with his 2013 Ballon d’Or and when Lebanese Real Madrid fan Haidar was orphaned when both of his parents were killed by a suicide bomber in 2015 Ronaldo was there to welcome the young fan to the Bernabeu.

He receives significant grief for his vanity and for suggesting that the Champions League should be renamed after him, but the time he shows for young fans and the less fortunate has been exceptional.

The young fan in this instance, Rafael Agostinho, managed to slip through the security cordon at Lisbon Airport on Saturday as the Portuguese team prepares to fly out to Russia for this month’s FIFA World Cup.

Earlier this month Ronaldo teamed up with the Make A Wish Foundation to help Portuguese children Joao and Francisca to visit the national team’s training facility in Oeiras, west Lisbon.

“The encounter between the captain of the national soccer team and the two children was a moment full of emotion and happiness,” the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement.