Cristiano Ronaldo EMBARRASSED Atalanta defender by refusing to swap shirts after cup clash

Atalanta defender Robin Gosens has revealed that Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo had left him "blushed and ashamed". The 26-year-old idolises the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and was keen to secure his hallowed jersey after a cup clash between their two teams in 2019. However, the 36-year-old left his counterpart red-faced, who recollected the incident in his autobiography. 

Cristiano Ronaldo left Atalanta defender red-faced after refusing to swap shirts 

In his biography titled "Dreams are Worthwhile", Robin Gosens revealed all on the attempted jersey swap with Cristiano Ronaldo after their meeting in the 2019 cup final. Gosen wrote, "After the game against Juventus, I tried to fulfil my dream of having Ronaldo's jersey. After the final whistle, I went to him, having not even gone public to celebrate ... but Ronaldo did not accept. I asked: 'Cristiano, can I have your shirt?' He didn't even look at me, he just said: 'No!'". Gosens said that the interaction made him feel "small" and he was completely ashamed as it crushed his spirits. He wrote, "You know that moment when something embarrassing happens and you look around to see if anyone noticed it? That's what I felt and tried to hide it". 

The cold affair took place in the immediate minutes after Atalanta memorably dumped Juventus out of the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. Gosens was introduced as a second-half substitute, while Ronaldo started from the off, but failed to influence the result of the game. Gosens has no reason to feel small as his Atalanta side progressed further in the Champions League than Juventus in the following season and are ahead of the Old Lady in the Serie A table this year. Atalanta currently hold a two-point lead over the Biaconeri, but Ronaldo & co. have a game in hand over their top-four rivals as they chase a Champions League spot. 

Cristiano Ronaldo Serie A record 

Despite Juventus' struggles, Cristiano Ronaldo has maintained his usual high standards and has shown no signs of slowing down. The 36-year-old is the leading goal scorer in Serie A this season with 24 goals in just 25 games, averaging close to a goal every game. Ronaldo has 31 goals across all competitions this year, taking his tally to 96 goals since joining Juventus from Real Madrid. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner is second in the race for the European Golden Shoe, only behind Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski. 

(Image Courtesy: Cristiano Ronaldo, Robin Gosens Instagram)