Cristiano Ronaldo gets plenty of requests for his shirts after games, whether it be from opposition players or from fans.

For the most part, the Manchester United ace is happy to oblige. After all, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner knows just how in-demand he is and how respected his name remains in world football.

For one player in particular though, the request to swap shirts with the iconic forward resulted in one of the most ‘embarrassing’ moments of his career. Germany international Robin Gosens has admitted he was left feeling ‘small’ after his attempts to get his hands on Ronaldo’s shirt backfired.

Gosens came up against the Portuguese star on a few occasions during Ronaldo’s stint at Juventus. And the former Atalanta defender – who now plies his trade with Inter Milan – explained how he was denied in humiliating fashion.

“After the final whistle I went to him… but Ronaldo did not accept,” Gosens wrote in Dreams Are Worthwhile. “I asked: ‘Cristiano, can I have your shirt?’. He didn’t even look at me, he just said: ‘No!’.

“I was completely ashamed. I went away and felt small. You know that moment when something embarrassing happens and you look around to see if anyone noticed it? That’s what I felt and tried to hide it.”

Gosens would eventually get his hands on a Ronaldo shirt, although probably not in the manner he would have hoped. Footage from social media shows how fellow defender Hans Hateboer surprised the 27-year-old with a Juventus shirt, drawing laughter from their teammates in the dressing room.

Gosens, though, would end up getting some revenge on Ronaldo. The defender was part of the German side that beat Portugal 4-2 at last summer’s Euro 2020 tournament, and he managed to get himself on the scoresheet and picked up the man of the match award.