Brendan Rodgers says Cristiano Ronaldo connection goes back a long way after viral embrace | OneFootball

Brendan Rodgers has revealed the story behind his viral embrace with Cristiano Ronaldo, saying their bond predates their Saudi meeting. The Al-Qadsiah manager said the connection stems from his early coaching days in England.

"Our connection goes back a long way," he said. "When I was a young coach at Chelsea, my mother was at a Chelsea game against Manchester United and wanted to meet Cristiano Ronaldo, who was her favourite player at the time, even though I worked for Chelsea." He was speaking to Al-Qadsiah’s official media channels.

"I spoke to Cristiano after the game to see if he could greet my mother, and he did. My mother is no longer with me, she passed away in 2010, but when he met her that day, it meant everything to me and her. He spent some time with her, took a picture, said very kind words to her, and that has always stayed with me."

"He has done incredible things in his career, he’s probably the reason why so many people from Europe and all over the world are here in Saudi Arabia," Rodgers said of the 41-year-old.

The pair shared their pre-match moment on 3 May, shortly before Al-Nassr lost 3-1 to Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League. Rodgers’ side ended Al-Nassr’s 20-game winning streak, then Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to keep the title race alive ahead of Thursday’s meeting with Al-Hilal.

Source: Goal.com