Højlund sparks controversy against Portugal

Danish forward Rasmus Højlund drew attention with two controversial moments during his country’s 4-2 defeat to visiting Portugal in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday. The young striker celebrated in the distinctive manner of veteran Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo during the match, and was seen forcefully pushing visiting coach Jorge Jesus after the final whistle. Højlund scored in the 53rd minute, finishing off a clever Danish counterattack by beating goalkeeper Diogo Costa with a chip, leveling the score at 2-2. The Napoli forward ran toward the corner flag to celebrate in Ronaldo’s signature style, spinning his finger in the air before executing his famous jumping turn as the stadium crowd chanted “Siu.” The gesture appeared to be a tribute to the Portuguese star, particularly since Højlund has publicly stated on several occasions that he is a fan of Ronaldo. Højlund has previously imitated the five-time Ballon d’Or winner on other occasions; for example, in 2025, he celebrated in the same way after scoring the winner against Portugal in a match that Denmark won 1-0. Ronaldo had sparked widespread controversy earlier in the same week after remaining on the bench for his team’s 2-1 loss to Norway. Although he had been informed he would play, the Portuguese coach changed his mind due to the flow of the game. Following the match, Ronaldo commented on his departure from the Portugal national team camp via his Instagram account, writing: “After the national team press conference and a conversation with the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, I decided to leave the training camp.” After the match, which was part of the third round of Group 4 in League A of the continental competition, Højlund got into a scuffle with Jesus and pushed him. Although the reason for the incident remains unclear, Portuguese media covered the episode, with the newspaper A Bola describing the situation as strange, noting that the coach smiled after the incident.