Madrid - Real Madrid's Ronaldo has apologised after being criticised for a goal celebration in which he and his Brazilian team-mates imitated a cockroach on its back.
Alaves president Dmitry Piterman had said Ronaldo, Robinho and Roberto Carlos acted "like clowns" and "spoilt kids" when they wiggled their arms and legs while lying on their backs after Ronaldo's second goal in Sunday's 3-0 league win at the Mendizorroza Stadium.
"It was something silly between friends and I didn't intend to offend or insult our opponent's fans. I have never done it before and I'll never do it again," Ronaldo told radio station Cadena SER on Tuesday.
Ronaldo tempered his apology by suggesting Piterman had gone too far with criticism, especially as the former United States triple jumper was photographed nude this year for an article about Alaves in Spanish magazine Interviu.
"I don't see what I did as being so serious. I was only celebrating a goal," Ronaldo said. "A man who appeared naked in a magazine is not the ideal person to make judgments and call Robinho, Roberto Carlos and myself clowns."
Ronaldo explained that the idea for the celebration had come from a journalist and his press officer, David Espinar, who had dared him to imitate a cockroach.
"Now they will have to go to a restaurant dressed as women," Ronaldo said. - Sapa-AP