Cristiano Ronaldo protects pitch-invading fan from stewards, takes a photo with him

What's the story?

Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo protected a pitch-invading fan from being dragged away by the stewards and instead took a picture with him in a classy gesture during his side's Champions League clash with former club Manchester United.

In case you didn't know...

The Portuguese ace returned to his old stomping ground for the second time on Tuesday night as Jose Mourinho's Manchester United hosted Italian giants Juventus for a highly-anticipated Champions League Group clash.

It was a memorable night for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner as United fans applauded their former hero and sang to him.

The game saw Ronaldo providing Paulo Dybala with an assist to the 17th minute winning goal that gave the Bianconeri their victory over the Manchester side.

Even United boss Jose Mourinho was impressed by the quality of his opponents saying,

"In the other side there was huge quality. Sometimes people look for Ronaldo or Dybala but in a top team you have to look to Chiellini and Bonucci. I think Juventus are the type of team that when they are in front its very difficult."

"Juventus is a different level of quality, I have to be honest. A level of quality, stability, experience, know how. It was a really difficult match for us. I thought we could take something but it was not possible."

The heart of the matter

The night saw two fans invading the pitch to catch a glimpse of their hero. The first was immediately tackled down by security in the first few minutes of the game but not before he shook hands with Ronaldo.

After the final whistle, a second fan made a run from Stretford End towards the former Real Madrid star, only to be tackled to the ground by pitch stewards.

However, Ronaldo swooped in to save the fan from the stewards and exchanged a few words with the admirer.

The ex-Manchester United man then went on to take the fan's phone and had a picture taken with him before the fan was taken away.

After the match, another pitch invader came on and Ronaldo allowed him to take a selfie. He’s got a soft spot for United fans. #MUNJUV #UCL pic.twitter.com/VtDOMU3iS7

— R1Finesse (@R1Finesse) October 23, 2018

What's next?

Manchester United is all set to go head-to-head with Everton on Sunday while Juventus will travel to play Empoli on Saturday.