Addison Whelan, 11, says her dad will pay the hefty fine after she ran onto the pitch at the Aviva Stadium to ask Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo for his shirt.
The young girl who ran on the pitch at the Aviva Stadium for Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt claims she has been fined £2,500.
Addison Whelan, 11, jumped the barrier at the Dublin stadium following Ireland’s 0-0 draw with Portugal and made a beeline for the Manchester United forward.
She dodged two security guards in the process before shouting out to Ronaldo, who instructed the men to stand down and handed the young girl his shirt.
Addison admitted her delight with the interaction but has since revealed she has been fined a whopping £2,500 for the stunt.
She told FM104: “I was fined for running onto the pitch. My dad’s going to pay it.”
Adding, her father would be “delighted” if someone else came forward to pay it.
Addison, who plays for Shelbourne’s Under-13s, earlier told RTE Radio 1’s Morning Ireland: “I jumped over the barrier because I was in the second row. I jumped over the first row and over the barrier.
“Then I sprinted onto the pitch, but there were security guards running behind me and there was another two coming from the other corner so I just kept sprinting.
“When I saw the other two coming from the other corner I ran more towards the halfway line so then I could swerve around them, but then they caught me.
“Then I was just screaming Ronaldo’s name. He turned around and he saw me and he was telling them to leave me.
“So then I was calling him over. He came over to me. I was just in shock and crying and I was like ‘Can I have your jersey? Please, please. I’m a big, huge fan’. He was saying ‘Are you okay?'”
After checking up on Addison, Ronaldo handed the young girl his shirt and she was finally escorted off the pitch.
The 11-year-old added: “When my dad saw him taking off the shirt, my dad’s face was just in shock.
“I was like ‘Oh my God, this is it, this is my dream, it’s finally coming true”. That was probably his last time playing in Ireland.
“He [Ronaldo] said I appreciate that and everything.”
