Hernán Crespo shared an anecdote that was as awkward as it was funny involving Cristiano Ronaldo, which occurred after one of the most notable nights of his coaching career in the Middle East: when his Al Ain eliminated CR7's Al-Nassr in the Asian Champions League in March 2024. The Argentine coach recounted the episode on ESPN's F90 program and shared a quote from the Portuguese player that went viral for its mix of pride, anger, and competitiveness.
Crespo set the scene from the beginning: “It was the quarter-finals, we faced Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr. The first leg went well for us, we won 1-0. The thing is we advanced on penalties and, of course, all the admiration for a guy who has given and continues to give so much to football, you take your hat off to such an image”. This framework of respect is key to understanding what happened next, because Crespo approached not to provoke, but to congratulate.
The Argentine explained that after the elimination, he went to greet the Portuguese star, who was visibly upset by the defeat. And that’s where the central scene of the story unfolded. Crespo recounted it this way: “So, I went and he was angry. Logically, he was eliminated by us, and I went to hug him and said: ‘Thank you for everything you have given to football, what you give’. And he looked at me and said: ‘I haven't retired yet’”.
The series also had footballing elements that amplified the impact. In the decisive match, Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring with a penalty, although he also missed a clear chance during the game. However, Al-Nassr could not prevail in the penalty shootout: Marcelo Brozovic, Alex Telles, and Otávio all missed. Al Ain, on the other hand, was perfect in their three attempts, advanced to the next round, and ended up lifting the trophy after defeating Japan's Yokohama Marinos.
