Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo defends Japanese boy, earns Internet’s respect

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At a promotional event in Japan last year, a Japanese boy stumbled over some phrases in Portuguese as he greeted Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo in front of a live audience.

The crowd began to snicker at the awkward exchange.

Ronaldo was quick to intervene, asking his translator: “Why they smile? Why? He speaks good Portuguese. Very good. They should be happy because he tries very hard.”

His generous response earned an awkward applause from the shamed audience.

That exchange is now going viral, with people praising the young boy’s attempt at Portuguese and praising Ronaldo for defending him.

“I like that he was reassuring the kid that he understood what he was saying. It’s so nerve racking trying to speak a new language let alone in front of an entire crowd and cameras,” wrote Redditor Kokemon.

“The kid has seriously done a damned good job with the Portuguese, and no, his pronunciation is not bad at all,” wrote Reddit user RochelleH, a Brazilian-Australian. “It seriously is understandable, and he actually manages to assume the proper accent really well. Cristiano isn’t bull******** or just tugging the kid’s chain when he says his Portuguese is good. The only funny part is that he uses ‘você,’ which is the Brazilian version of ‘you,’ rather than the Portuguese ‘you.’ Hehe.”

“What he says: ‘Good Afternoon. My name is Yota. My dream is to be a football player. I hope I have the pleasure to play football with you one day. How can I reach that goal?’ Beautiful.”

Another Reddit user pointed out that “this must be close to Ronaldo’s heart.”

“First because he himself had to learn new languages, both Spanish and English, and speak them for the first time on camera at some point. Surely he felt nervous then, and thought it was shitty for some to mock his effort,” wrote jesusnda7dwarves.

“But also because in his younger days, upon moving from Madeira, the island, to continental Portugal, he used to be made fun of for his insular accent by his peers. So being mocked for the way one speaks must be something he particularly dislikes.”

Ronaldo isn’t always the easiest-to-love athlete, but standing up for the little guy is always something we can get behind.

This past winter, Ronaldo donned a disguise and took to the streets of Madrid, looking for someone to play soccer with him.

Watch him make another kid’s day below.

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