The Emirati Al Ain striker, Moroccan Sofiane Rahimi, revealed that the captain of the Saudi Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo, requested his jersey after their teams' match in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League last March. During his appearance on the Moroccan program "Radio Mars" yesterday, Tuesday, Rahimi spoke about the conversation that took place between him and Ronaldo in the middle of the field after the Portuguese scored the equalizing goal for Al Nassr from a last-minute penalty. The Moroccan international striker said: "After Ronaldo scored the penalty, I went to him and said, 'You took it while you were scared,' and he started laughing, saying, 'I knew the goalkeeper would go to the right, so I shot it that way to ensure the goal.'"
He added: "Cristiano came closer to me and said, 'You are a good player, keep it up...' This is a certificate I cherish and will never forget throughout my life." Rahimi continued, "After the match, I went to Ronaldo and asked for his jersey. After he gave it to me, I was surprised that he wanted my jersey as well; it is not easy for Ronaldo to ask for your jersey... This event will stay in my memory forever."
Al Ain had overcome Al Nassr in the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League through penalties, then surpassed Al Hilal in the semi-finals before winning the title against Yokohama F. Marinos from Japan, with a total score of 6-3 over two legs. Rahimi played a significant role in Al Ain's title run by scoring crucial goals in the knockout stages, and he topped the Asian Champions League scoring chart with 13 goals.
