April 10, 2022, 11:48 AM
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Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was caught on camera appearing to knock a young fan's phone out of his hand.
Swiped fan's phone out of his hand
In videos circulating on social media, the injured 37-year-old Portuguese striker was hobbling as he made his way off the pitch after Manchester United's 1-0 defeat to Everton.
When he limped and stopped along the way, a fan appeared to be filming him closely.
It was then Ronaldo appeared to swipe the fan's phone out of his hands, before heading into the tunnel.
In case anyone still believe United’s laughable claim that “it isn’t clear that Ronaldo’s swipe was intentional”… @ManUtd #EVEMNU #Ronaldo @SkySportsPL @SkySportsNews @SkySports @NBCSportsSoccer @Everton pic.twitter.com/itPLcV4rVB
— Domino Chris (@realdominochris) April 9, 2022
https://twitter.com/evertonhub/status/1512792790106787853
Images circulated online suggested that the fan's phone was damaged in the incident.
According to SkyNews, the young fan is a 14-year-old Jake Harding.
His mother said that Harding is autistic and "didn't really digest what was happening" until he got home.
Apologised on Instagram
Ronaldo took to Instagram to apologise for the incident, and invited the fan to return to watch a game "as a sign of fair-play and sportsmanship".
"It’s never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing," he said, "nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game".
While this invited positive comments, several netizens have also criticised the player, suggesting that he should be buying the fan a new phone instead.
According to ESPN, Manchester United said that they were investigating the incident.
Manchester United is currently seventh in the Premier League after the defeat, facing the prospect of missing out on qualifying for the next season's Champions League.
Top photo via @dominothement/Twitter and @Evertonhub/Twitter
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