Pitch invader ran towards Cristiano Ronaldo ‘like a lover’ & says he would ‘do it 100,000 times again’ despite spending night in Scottish cells

Hawdin Ezzat – who fled his native Kurdistan in 2021 – looked to make the most of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when CR7 graced the international arena at Hampden Park. Despite it being forbidden to jump advertising hoardings and cross the pitch, Ezzat made a beeline for Ronaldo towards the end of an otherwise forgettable goalless draw in Glasgow.

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  WHAT PITCH INVADER SAID

  He has told The Scottish Sun of those actions: “I had been waiting for that moment my whole life. It finally happened, even though it’s not exactly what I wanted. For many people, it might not have been a big deal. But for me, it was a historic night. After hearing Scotland would be playing Portugal in the Nations League, I knew Cristiano Ronaldo would be coming to Scotland. I planned to go on the pitch. I didn’t even ask myself what would happen if I did.”

  • THE BIGGER PICTURE

    Ezzat added on timing his scramble towards Ronaldo: “During the second half, around 80 minutes, I was like, ‘It’s time to do it’. I jumped the barrier and was running towards Ronaldo like a lover. That was my dream. But unfortunately, it wasn’t his night. I wanted to hug him and take a picture with him. But I couldn’t do any of that. My main purpose was to talk to him. As I ran towards him I was saying ‘You’re the best in the world’ in Spanish.”

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    DID YOU KNOW?

    Ezzat’s antics cost him a night in a Scottish cell, but he has no regrets and is still waiting on an opportunity to grab a selfie with his hero after being tackled by security staff. He added: “It was worth it, but I think I will be banned from Hampden. I still can’t believe it. I would do it 100,000 times again. Hopefully, I will meet him one day.”

    WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

    Ronaldo is now 39 years of age, while plying his club trade in Saudi Arabia for Al-Nassr, so may not be seen in Scotland again. He is, however, giving no thought to retirement just yet and intends to reach 1,000 career goals before hanging up his record-setting boots.