Soccer players often find themselves in awkward encounters with fans. Such an incident unfolded during Inter Miami’s recent visit to New England. Following the Herons’ emphatic 1-4 victory, Julian Gressel, a teammate of Lionel Messi, shared a peculiar fan interaction. The midfielder found himself signing a jersey adorned with the name of Messi’s long-time rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, due to the presence of a ‘big Portuguese community’ in a few parts of the US. 

The surprising revelation was made in the latest episode of the PLAYER / MANAGER podcast, hosted by Gressel himself alongside renowned internet streamer Zealand. The 30-year-old narrated that after the Revolution match, he ‘hung around’ near the stands until the majority of the stadium had cleared out, allowing him time to call his family members as close as possible to the pitch. Interestingly, a few fans also approached to meet him.

“I see most of them, give them a hug, and kind of just chat with them for like 5 minutes. It gets to a point where then all of a sudden everybody comes in and they all want pictures and autographs, even though some of them probably didn’t even know who I was. Like I was even signing a Ronaldo shirt, which is really strange I thought,” revealed Gressel. However, the German-born player didn’t mind signing it and rather normalized the incident.

“But I mean it makes sense. There’s a big Portuguese community in Providence and then Boston,” Gressel concluded. Indeed, it is quite an astonishing tale to hear. Imagine one of Ronaldo’s Al Nassr teammates signing a Messi jersey in Saudi Arabia. Yet, this showcases the global dominance of these two stars, especially CR7. This connects the dots on why he was urged to join MLS.

Cristiano Ronaldo backed to join MLS and ignite rivalry with Lionel Messi

Luis Mateus, the owner of the American club Rockford Raptors, earlier expressed his desire to see Cristiano Ronaldo make a move to the United States. Despite acknowledging the possibility of Ronaldo concluding his career in Portugal, Mateus remains confident that the 39-year-old will eventually land in North America. In fact, Mateus knows the perfect location for the legendary striker to realize his full potential in the MLS.

“If Ronaldo comes to Boston or goes to Los Angeles, the MLS will do something incredible,” said the owner of the former USISL Pro League side. This means that Ronaldo can have a choice to make between the New England Revolution and LAFC of the MLS. Should this speculation come to fruition, Ronaldo’s fans in Boston or Providence could rejoice, as they wouldn’t have to rely on other players for his autograph.