Spezia and Ghana forward Emmanuel Gyasi has recalled an interesting incident with Cristiano Ronaldo. While detailing his encounter with the Juventus superstar, Gyasi praised Ronaldo, calling him a 'great person and a great player'.
During an interaction with Joy Sport, the 27-year-old opened up about playing against Cristiano Ronaldo in Serie A. Saying that he considers Ronaldo his idol, Gyasi talked about the Portuguese giving him his jersey after a league match.
“For me, he is an idol, and this too is a dream that came true. He is my idol, and I dreamt of playing on the same field with him one day. I never thought of it happening so soon. I remember in the first game, I went to him and spoke with him, but unfortunately he couldn’t give me the jersey. In the second game before we started the game, he just came to me and asked 'Gyasi, how are you?' I was shocked, he remembered me!
Emmanuel Gyasi continued:
"I was shocked that Cristiano Ronaldo remembered me because it has been a long time. Home and away games have a long time gap between them, so maybe he could have forgotten that he promised me a jersey."
Juventus and Spezia have met twice this season. In their first encounter, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a brace to help the Bianconeri win 4-1. The second match was a tighter affair, with Juventus needing three second-half goals to win.
Further detailing his second encounter with Ronaldo, Gyasi said:
“When he came and he hugged me and asked how I was doing, I was very happy. Very very happy. During the game he was nervous because in the first half, we (Spezia) played very well, and it was 0-0. He had hit the crossbar, and I saw him run into the tunnel after the first half, so I thought I was not going to get the jersey. But I saw him waiting for me in my dressing room, and I was shocked. After the game, we met in the dressing room and had a chat. He’s a very great player and a great person.”
Cristiano Ronaldo leads 2020-21 Serie A goal-scoring chart
Cristiano Ronaldo has continued his prolific goal-scoring form this season, as he leads the Serie A goal-scoring chart with 24 goals in 25 matches; he is four clear of second-placed Romelu Lukaku.
However, Juventus' run of nine consecutive league titles is all set to come to an end, as they are 12 points off league leaders Inter Milan.
Juventus are also running the risk of missing out on Champions League football next season, as they are fourth in the league table; they are level on points with fifth-placed Napoli.