Cristiano Ronaldo 2018 World CupGetty Images

Why did Ronaldo stroke his chin as he celebrated scoring against Spain?

Cristiano Ronaldo stole all the headlines yet again on Friday, as his brilliant hat-trick earned Portugal a 3-3 draw with Spain in a World Cup classic.

The Real Madrid superstar opened the scoring with a coolly-taken penalty, before adding a second with a speculative long-range drive that was spilled by David de Gea. Both goals were cancelled out by Diego Costa strikes, before Nacho gave Spain the lead.

A clinically precise free-kick from Ronaldo, hammered into the top corner, then rescued Portugal a 3-3 draw late on, sending social media into meltdown.

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Yet Twitter was already preoccupied with Ronaldo's first goal, after which he celebrated by stroking his chin following his customary jump and spin in the air.

Indeed, several users have claimed that the gesture was a dig at Ronaldo's eternal rival, Lionel Messi, who has starred in a promotion with a goat for Adidas recently.

The message, of course, is that Messi is the greatest of all time, but the Portugal captain seems to disagree, perhaps imitating the look of a goat by stroking the hair on his chin.

Or perhaps it was a message to De Gea, who has himself grown a beard in recent months and seemed to attempt to put Ronaldo off before he struck the penalty.

Cristiano Ronaldo David de Gea 2018 World Cup

Or maybe, just maybe, Ronaldo was paying tribute to broadcast legend Jimmy Hill...

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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