"He didn't respect me".. Hojlund reveals the reason he pushed Jesus after the Ronaldo crisis

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Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund clarified the controversial moment he had with Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus after the end of the Denmark vs. Portugal match (2-4) last Thursday in the UEFA Nations League.

Hojlund, the Napoli striker, lightly pushed Jesus during their handshake in the middle of the pitch, which some interpreted as solidarity with his idol Cristiano Ronaldo following his recent issues with the coach.

However, the 23-year-old player completely denied this after Denmark's 1-0 victory over Wales on Sunday, saying: 'The push has nothing to do with what happened between Jesus and Ronaldo. The reason is that he didn't bother to look me in the eye. I received a cold touch on my chest and he ignored me, so I said to him: Is this a joke? Disrespectful, you should shake hands properly after the match.'

Hojlund also admitted that his celebration for his goal in the 53rd minute in the famous Ronaldo style was a tribute to the Portuguese legend. He said: 'I know you are looking for headlines, and you get them because of him. I have never been afraid to say that Cristiano is my idol; he has always been very important to me. I arrived at Manchester United six months after he left, as if I came to fill the void he left; it was an enjoyable journey.

The Danish striker concluded by wishing for reconciliation and the end of Ronaldo's crisis with Jesus after the Portugal captain left the national team camp: Ronaldo has a great mentality, and I hope things will be resolved between him and Portugal; it would be unfortunate for the career of the best player in history to end this way.