Cristiano Ronaldo’s brutal rejection of a shirt swap had a lasting impact on the Atalanta defender Robin Gosens, according to the German international.
Gosens, who has five caps for his country, has impressed on the left side of the Italian side’s defence in the past couple of seasons, as the Bergamo outfit have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2019/20 and then the last-16 this season.
But while his standing in the game has risen, it seemingly still isn’t enough to impress Ronaldo, whose rejection has been documented in Gosens’ new biography, ‘Dreams are worthwhile.’
“After the game against Juventus, I tried to fulfil my dream of having Ronaldo jersey,” sats Gosens in an extract from the book, via Goal.com.
“After the final whistle I went to him, having not even gone public to celebrate … but Ronaldo did not accept.
(Image: REUTERS)
“I asked: ‘Cristiano, can I have your shirt?’ He didn’t even look at me, he just said: ‘No!’”
“I was completely blushed and ashamed.
“I went away and felt small.
“You know that moment when something embarrassing happens and you look around to see if anyone noticed it? That’s what I felt and tried to hide it.”
Gosens is believed to be referring to a match in January 2019 when Atalanta beat Juventus 3-0 in Bergamo, while they have also drawn with them on their last two visits to Turin.
The German could end up getting the ultimate revenge on Ronaldo at the end of this season, with third-place Atalanta currently one place and two points ahead of Juve in the Serie A table.
