Sky Sports presenter Kelly Cates has spoken out about an awkward encounter she once had with Cristiano Ronaldo, ahead of her upcoming move to host Match of the Day.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed earlier this month that Cates will be one of three presenters of the BBC's flagship show alongside Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan when Gary Lineker steps down from his current role at the end of the season.
Cates, the daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, has been covering Sky for a number of years and presenting 5 Live Sport for BBC radio.
She will continue her rise in 2025, but this does not always go smoothly for the experienced broadcaster.
She now recalls the moment she found herself on the wrong side of Ronaldo after he scored an incredible goal for Manchester United in their 4-0 win against Aston Villa in March 2008.
Reflecting on the best goals she's ever seen live, Cates told FourFourTwo: 'One of the most memorable goals was years ago, I think it was against Aston Villa and it was raining.
'Cristiano Ronaldo was a bit off, he did something strange. In the comment they said “I'm not sure how intentional it was” or something like that.
“The reason it sticks in my mind is because in the post-match interview I asked, 'Did you mean it?' He said, “Sorry?” I didn't think he heard it, but he did and he said, “Are you kidding me? Yeah, I meant it!” It's more the shame that stays with me!'
The incident happened almost 17 years ago and Ronaldo has since had a second spell at Old Trafford and moved on, but Cates still remembers how it all went wrong during their interview that day.
However, it hasn't stopped her as she has become one of the most popular presenters in the country, leading to her landing the biggest gig of her career.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo remains firmly in the news and raised eyebrows with his comments on a range of topics at last week's Globe Soccer Awards.
The Portuguese star appeared to be positioning himself as new owner to fix United amid mounting problems under Ruben Amorim.
He also branded the Ballon d'Or as 'unfair' as he insisted Vinicius Jr. should have won this one in October before Rodri, and again took aim at Ligue 1 by claiming that 'France only has PSG'.
He previously achieved success in the French league after his great rival Lionel Messi played for PSG between 2021 and 2023.
Messi has now moved to the US to play for Inter Miami, and Ronaldo could be looking for a move himself after reporting he is open to a move away from Al-Nassr.
However, it is clear that he would prefer to stay in Saudi Arabia as he wants to win the competition before leaving the Middle Eastern country.
Comments