Real Madrid's Ronaldo has apologized after
being criticized for a goal celebration in which he and his Brazilian
teammates imitated a cockroach on its back.
Alaves president Dmitry Piterman had said Ronaldo, Robinho and Roberto
Carlos acted "like clowns" and "spoilt kids" when they wiggled their
arms and legs while lying on their backs after Ronaldo's second goal in
Sunday's 3-0 league win at the Mendizorroza stadium.
"It was something silly between friends and I didn't intend to offend or
insult our opponent's fans. I have never done it before and I'll never
do it again," Ronaldo told radio station Cadena SER on Tuesday.
Ronaldo tempered his apology by suggesting Piterman had gone too far
with criticism, especially as the former U.S. triple jumper was
photographed nude this year for an article about Alaves in Spanish
magazine Interviu.
"I don't see what I did as being so serious. I was only celebrating a
goal," Ronaldo said. "A man who appeared naked in a magazine is not the
ideal person to make judgments and call Robinho, Roberto Carlos and
myself clowns."
Ronaldo explained that the idea for the celebration had come from a
journalist and his press officer, David Espinar, who had dared him to
imitate a cockroach.
"Now they will have to go to a restaurant dressed as women," Ronaldo
said. |
