Ghana star Osman Bukari insists it was never his intention to disrespect Cristiano Ronaldo by doing the ‘Siuuu’ celebration in front of him.

Black Stars ace on target against PortugalCopied iconic celebration in a losing causeSaw all-time great make World Cup history

WHAT HAPPENED? That situation came to a pass during a Group H encounter at the 2022 World Cup, with the Blacks Stars opening their campaign in Qatar with a contest against a Portugal side that included five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo. Ghana slipped to a 3-2 defeat, but Bukari made the most of finding the target late on when he broke out the iconic celebration – but questions have been asked of why he delivered such theatrics in a losing cause and with the all-time great watching on from the bench after being substituted.

WHAT THEY SAID: Bukari has posted on social media: “I have noticed my celebration today has generated comments claiming I was disrespectful towards Ronaldo. This is incorrect. I was overcome by the emotion of the moment of scoring for my country on my World Cup debut leading to my celebration. My upbringing doesn’t permit me to be disrespectful to elders let alone one of my idols. Thanks for your support and we focus on our next game!”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Ronaldo has grown accustomed down the years to seeing his iconic celebration copied – such is his standing in the global game – and they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

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DID YOU KNOW? Cristiano Ronaldo is the second oldest player to score at the World Cup (37 years, 292 days), behind only Roger Milla in 1994 for Cameroon (42 years, 39 days). He’s the oldest to score for a European nation, overtaking Sweden’s Gunnar Gren (37 years, 236 days) in 1958.

WHAT NEXT? Ronaldo had the last laugh against Ghana, as he claimed the player of the match award and made history by becoming the first man to score at five World Cup finals, and Portugal will be back in action on Monday when taking in a meeting with Uruguay.