Referee Mark Clattenburg insists he has a great relationship with Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Clattenburg has had the opportunity to officiate several games with Ronaldo on the pitch during his time in the Premier League with Manchester United.
The English match official also judged him during Portugal’s clash against France in the finals of the Euro 2016.
Speaking to AS, he revealed the Portuguese tried to hug him out of respect during the medal distribution ceremony after Portugal had won the trophy. He also opened up on the 35-year old’s kind gesture after the full-time whistle.
“I got along very well with him. When I went up he was going to go up for my medal after the 2016 Euro final he tried to grab me and hug me. That was the level of respect we had for each other,” Clattenburg told AS.
“After a game I found a signed shirt in my locker room: ‘To Mark, my best wishes, Cristiano Ronaldo’.
“It was a very good gesture. I don’t think I ever stole time from him at all. Maybe that’s why I got the shirt.”
