Cristiano Ronaldo once brutally rejected an opponent who asked to swap shirts after a game, leaving him feeling 'ashamed' and 'small'

• Cristiano Ronaldo brutally rejected an opponent who asked to swap shirts after a game.
• Atalanta's Robin Gosens says he was left feeling "blushed and ashamed" by Ronaldo's snub.
• "I went away and felt small," said the Germany international of the incident.

Cristiano Ronaldo once brutally rejected an opponent who asked to swap shirts after a game, leaving him feeling "blushed and ashamed."

Atalanta fullback Robin Gosens says he asked for Ronaldo's shirt following his side's 3-0 Coppa Italia win over Juventus in January 2019.

"After the game against Juventus, I tried to fulfill my dream of having [a] Ronaldo jersey," Gosens recalled in his biography "Dreams are Worthwhile."

"After the final whistle I went to him, having not even gone public to celebrate, but Ronaldo did not accept. I asked: 'Cristiano, can I have your shirt?'

"He didn't even look at me, he just said: 'No!'"

The 26-year-old defender, who has been capped five times by Germany, says he was mortified by Ronaldo's snub.

"I was completely blushed and ashamed," he said. "I went away and felt small. You know that moment when something embarrassing happens and you look around to see if anyone noticed it? That's what I felt and tried to hide it."

While Gosens may have been embarrassed by Ronaldo, he could yet return the favour this season.

Atalanta currently sit third in the Serie A table, two points ahead of Juventus, which has won each of the last nine titles, with only nine games left to play.

The last time Juventus did not win the Scudetto, in 2010/2011, Atalanta was playing in Italy's second division.

The two sides not only meet on the final day of the league campaign, but also face off in the final of the Coppa Italia on May 19.

Despite good goalscoring form, Ronaldo has endured a difficult time on the field of late, with a number of on-pitch incidents in recent weeks leading to criticism.

In late March, Ronaldo was admonished by former teammates and pundits after throwing a tantrum and storming off the field in response to a late goal being disallowed during a match between Portugal and Serbia.

Earlier in the month he was blasted as having "betrayed" his team by Italy's largest sporting newspaper, Corriere dello Sport.