Revealed: Wrexham player did ‘Siuuuu’ celebration in front of Cristiano Ronaldo – leaving team-mates speechless

The Welsh outfit faced Premier League opposition in a behind-closed-doors encounter back in the summer of 2022. That contest saw Christian Eriksen make his first appearance for the Red Devils, as he scored a stunning free-kick, but it was the Dragons that took the lead inside 60 seconds when Hayden found the target.

Quizzed by the RobRyanRed Podcast on whether Hayden went full Ronaldo mode after hitting the net – with the Portuguese superstar watching on as he was still on United’s books at that stage – Hyde said: “That's a fact, I can confirm! Ronaldo stood there, watching the game from the side. So Ronaldo witnessed this himself. Azza (Aaron) did what he does; he got above someone from a corner, and he scored after one minute. And he ran off into the corner; all the boys were jogging behind him to congratulate him. He ran off and just went, 'Siuuuuu!'. All the boys were like, 'Oh my god, what have I just seen?'. He was buzzing with himself. One of the memorable things I've witnessed.”

Hyde also figured in that game, as he stepped off the bench to get pre-season minutes under his belt, and found himself lining up against World Cup-winning former France international Raphael Varane. Hyde added on passing that test: “That was a great experience. I think I played 30 minutes in the Manchester United game. A fantastic experience and something that comes with the calibre of the club Wrexham are striving to be. I came on, and we had a goal kick, and Varane was playing. I'm just standing there looking at him, saying, 'This guy has won the World Cup'. I won the header, and then Varane went off, and I was just like, '100 per cent record; what more can I do there?' So that was nice. To be honest, they were a cut above, but they were always going to be. It was just nice to see that in real life.”

Wrexham faced United again in the summer of 2023, with star striker Paul Mullin suffering a punctured lung in a friendly encounter that was played out on American soil – with Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney helping to put that Stateside tour in place.