"It was simply a tribute to a man whose international career may be over after the events on the day before the match. That's why I simply wanted to honour him once again," the 23-year-old told TV 2 after the 4-2 (2-1) defeat to Portugal. The celebration had "absolutely nothing to do with disrespect. He is my great idol."
In the 58th minute in Copenhagen, Höjlund made it 2-2 and then launched into Ronaldo's iconic "Siu" celebration. That sparked a major debate, with some publicly reading it as mockery. But the Napoli striker had already rejected that accusation in March 2025, when he also celebrated his winner against the Portuguese, who still featured Ronaldo at the time, with the CR7 celebration.
"I had always dreamed of copying Ronaldo's celebration, especially against him," he said at the time: "It's not to show off, but rather to show respect. I'm something of a fanboy, if you can call it that." He may also have shown that when he got involved in a minor spat with Portugal coach Jorge Jesus on Thursday evening. During the handshake, Höjlund gently tapped him on the chest and shot him a thoroughly nasty look.
At first, neither of the two protagonists commented on the incident. Ronaldo had stormed out of the Selecao camp after a dispute with Jesus on the day before the away game in Copenhagen and therefore missed the Nations League clash. His international career now appears to be over. Jesus initially said he wanted to "concentrate" on the rest of the international break. After that, there would be time to talk about it.