Marko Grujic says he could not stop himself from replicating Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic celebration after scoring for Hertha Berlin against Schalke on Friday.
The midfielder struck towards the end of the first half to cancel out Yevhen Konoplyanka's early opener and marked the occasion with a jump and a shout while spreading his arms out.
It looked very similar to the trademark style in which Juventus star Ronaldo revels in his goals, but the 22-year-old, on loan from Liverpool until the end of the season, says he did not plan to copy the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"Pure emotion. I could not control it, it just happened like that," he said to Bild .
However, the Serbia international admits the 33-year-old is a big inspiration to him, even if he thinks Barcelona star Lionel Messi is the best in the world.
"I look up to Ronaldo," he added. "He is a great role model for me because he works obsessively on his development.
"I love to live as professionally as possible and to prioritise everything else after it. Messi may be the more talented player, but Ronaldo has worked it all out."
Grujic has not had many chances to celebrate like Ronaldo since joining the German side, as the strike in the 2-2 draw with Schalke was just his second goal for the team currently sitting seventh in the Bundesliga.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, is second in the Serie A goal charts with 15 from 21 appearances while Juve hold an 11-point lead at the summit of the Italian top flight.
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