It was a moment that could’ve ended incredibly badly for Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo, after the Portuguese fired an explosive shot wide of the goal in his pre-match warm-up vs Young Boys, only to hit a female steward directly in the head.
Footage of the player hopping over the advertising hoardings to help tend to the stricken lady, Marisa Nobile, has been wifely shared.
It appears that, at one stage at least, there was genuine concern for her wellbeing, though she was soon well enough to continue her duties.
Once Ronaldo gave her one of his shirts, her pleasure was clear, albeit she’d believed she’d died during the initial incident.
“When the ball hit me on my head it was a full strike!,” she was quoted as saying by Blick TV, cited by the Daily Star.
“I was gone in my head and went to the ground. Afterwards I saw Ronaldo above me! Me: ‘Oh my god no, did I die?’
“Ronaldo said: ‘No, no. Excuse me! What’s happening? Are you all right?’
“I was in great pain. My God. I was more or less ballaballa! But then I saw Ronaldo and the headache was gone.”
Unfortunately for Ronaldo, it wasn’t the only bad mark on the night. Despite handing United the lead with the opener after 13 minutes, the visitors then snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.