"My idol, Cristiano came to mind" - Real Madrid star Rodrygo reveals why he did the Cristiano Ronaldo Siu after his first goal against Chelsea
Real Madrid forward Rodrygo copied Cristiano Ronaldo's iconic 'Siuu' celebration after scoring his first goal against Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg clash at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, April 18.
The Brazilian attacker explained the reason behind his celebration as he said after the game (h/t Madrid Xtra):
“First I thought about celebrating with a knee slide but then my idol, Cristiano, came to mind.”
Cristiano Ronaldo performed the celebration countless times during his time at Real Madrid. He would often do the celebration with left-back Marcelo.
Rodrygo, who was a fan of the five-time Ballon d'Or growing up, paid tribute to his idol by doing his celebration against Chelsea after scoring in the 58th minute.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, won their clash against Chelsea by a scoreline of 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. Rodrygo netted both goals with his second of the night coming in the 80th minute.
Los Blancos won 4-0 on aggregate and secured a place in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema joins Cristiano Ronaldo in an elite list
Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the most prolific players in the history of the UEFA Champions League. He is the tournament's all-time record goalscorer and holds the record for most appearances in the Champions League as well.
Ronaldo has made 183 appearances in the Champions League, followed by Iker Casillas, who has made 177. Lionel Messi is third on the list with 163 appearances, while Barcelona legend Xavi is fourth with 151 appearances to his name.
After featuring against Chelsea on Tuesday night, Los Blancos striker Karim Benzema became the fifth player in the tournament's history to make 150 appearances in the Champions League. The Frenchman is a five-time winner of the tournament and has scored 90 goals in the competition.
Real Madrid will need Benzema to be firing on all cylinders for the semi-finals. They will face either Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the last-four of the competition. The second leg between City and Bayern will be held on Wednesday, April 19, at the Allianz Arena. City won the first leg 3-0 at the Etihad.