A poor, but heartfelt choice
Here’s the setup: Real Madrid are playing against Chelsea in Florida as part of a pre-season tournament across the United States. It’s a rare chance for soccer fans to see the world’s best on their home soil.
During the game Ronald Gjok, a Cristiano Ronaldo super fan, runs on to the field and approaches the man who is currently the best footballer on Earth. It’s a dangerous situation when any fan runs on to the field, but this fan simply gives Ronaldo a great big hug.
As Joe O'Connor writes, it was a potentially scary moment that turned into a bit of tear-jerker:
It was a hug that, well, kept on hugging, and the best part about it was that Ronaldo hugged the kid back, on a hot August night, a touching embrace that ultimately resulted in Gjoka getting tossed in jail for 36 hours and being charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct. Nuisance charges that, upon conviction, would potentially make life a little complicated for the Florida community college student in terms of finding a job and actually remaining in the United States.
There’s no denying that the fan clearly broke the law, but Ronaldo himself took the steps to make a case for the 20-year-old, which likely helped prosecutors decide to drop the charges against him.