Cristiano Ronaldo Appears to Duck for Cover from Cameras in First Training Session Since Phone Incident

Cristiano Ronaldo Appears to Duck for Cover from Cameras in First Training Session Since Phone Incident

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:00 PM
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  • Cristiano Ronaldo is still on the spot over an incident that saw him slap a smartphone out of a fan’s hand
  • The Portuguese star has since apologized, but the fan’s family has declined an offer to come watch a game at Old Trafford
  • Ronaldo was back in the United training ground on Tuesday, but he conspicuously avoided cameras

Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in training on Tuesday, April 12 in odd circumstances amid controversy surrounding him after the Everton match.

Following a miserable weekend that saw Manchester United lose 1-0 to Everton, Ronaldo returned to training despite suffering a bad cut on his leg.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
Left: Cristiano Ronaldo arriving in training. Right: during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park on April 9. Photo by Visionhaus.
Source: Getty Images

His day on Saturday, April 9 also went from bad to worse as he was subject to mass criticism after appearing to strike a fan’s phone as he made his way down the tunnel.

As reported by Sunsport, Ronaldo was chauffeured on Tuesday to training, and despite his superstar status, he was in no mood to be captured by cameras.

In photos that are fast going viral online, the 37-year old is seen at the back seat of a car alongside two of his drivers who are seated at the front.

From his demeanour, it was clear Ronaldo was hiding from the cameras amid an ongoing police investigation over the Saturday incident.

Ronaldo vs disgruntled fan, the aftermath

In the wake of the incident involving Ronaldo slapping a smartphone out of a fan’s and, the Portugal star issued an apology on Instagram, but that did little to help his credentials, especially to the victim’s family.

"I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship," Ronaldo said on Instagram.

In his apology, Ronaldo also offered the 14-year old owner of the smartphone the opportunity to watch a football match at Old Trafford.

But Sarah Kelly, the 14-year old’s mother, turned down the offer, saying “a Blue cannot visit a Red”.

Ronaldo was also accused of leaving a bruise on the boy’s hand.

"If he was genuine, I think he should have turned around at the moment of the incident, picked Jake's phone up and been like, 'I'm sorry.'
"That was the biggest laugh for me: 'sportsmanship'. When you can do that to a 14-year-old boy. That's not sportsmanship at all."

The end for Fernandinho

In other news, Sports Brief reported of Fernandinho’s intentions to leave Manchester City after nine years.

The 36-year-old Brazilian has seen his game time reduce drastically for Pep Guardiola’s team following the signing of Rodri into the City team.

Fernandinho disclosed that his decision to leave the Citizens is based on the fact he wants more playing time which he couldn’t get at City.

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Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.