Everything Cristiano Ronaldo does catches on with his fans. The Portuguese superstar, one of the best of his generation and a winner everywhere, is a celebrated figure worldwide and has crazy fans followers in almost every corner of the world. One of the many Ronaldo things that really got well with the fans is Ronaldo’s popular “Sii” celebration. Every time the five-time Ballon D’Or celebrates with his trademark jump in the air and then swivels his hands while also shouting “sii” in motion. And recently the Juventus forward opened up on his iconic celebration and made some startling revelations about it, including details on how it came into being and against which team he first celebrated in such a manner. Cristiano Ronaldo Makes 1000th Senior Appearance.

Interestingly, Ronaldo, who’s already netted 25 times for Juventus this season and has each time accompanied those goals with his “sii celebration, first did it in the United States. Yes, you heard that right! Ronaldo first did his “sii” celebration in the US despite never playing in the Major Soccer League (MLS). Ronaldo travelled to the States for pre-season tours during his time at Manchester United and Real Madrid and it was in one of these tours that he discovered what has now become his iconic goal celebration.

According to reports in UK tabloid The Sun, Ronaldo first did it in 2013 during the Real Madrid vs Chelsea International Champions Cup final. The game was a pre-season friendly in which Ronaldo scored twice in Real’s 3-1 win over the Premier League club. And it was after his second goal which put Real 3-1 up that Ronaldo ran towards the corner flag and showed the American fans the very first of his “sii” celebration.

Cristiano Ronaldo Sii Celebration

“I was in the US and we played against Chelsea and I don't know where it came from. I just scored and I went, 'sii!'" Ronaldo told YouTube channel Soccer.com. "But it was natural, to be honest. After that, I started doing it and I feel like the fans, when they see me they're like 'sii' and I was like, 'wow, people remember Cristiano because of the sii,' so I continued like that,” the Juventus forward recalled.

In that pre-season friendly in 2013, Marcelo had put Real in the front but Ramires pulled Chelsea level at the break before Ronaldo scored a double to settle the scores. The first of the brace was a from a 25-yard free-kick while the second was a powerful header which also discovered the iconic “Sii” celebration. Since then Ronaldo has celebrated every goal of his with this chant and took it to a new level when he screamed “sii” after winning the Ballon d’Or trophy in 2015.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese talisman recently became the only footballer to score in 10 successive league matches for two clubs (Real and Juventus). His scoring streak drew to an end in Juventus’ 2-0 win over Brescia. But Ronaldo scored in the team’s very next match against SPAL and will be hoping to keep scoring when Juventus travel to France for their Champions League round of 16 1st leg encounter against Lyon.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 25, 2020 06:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).