Back in 2013, Rihanna's Diamonds World Tour touched down in Lisbon, and it produced one of the more unexpected celebrity crossovers of the year. Cristiano Ronaldo, then with Real Madrid and back in Portugal preparing for a World Cup qualifier, attended the May 28 concert and was invited backstage, where the two posed for a photo, Ronaldo flashing his trademark peace sign and grin beside the singer.
Both stars shared the moment with their massive followings. Rihanna posted it to Instagram with the caption, "Ladies eat your heart out!!! #CristianoRonaldo cam to get jiggly with ya girl #diamondsworldtour #backstagelife," while Ronaldo put it across his own social channels. At the time, the pairing of the world's most famous footballer and one of pop's biggest stars made for instant tabloid fascination.
There's a fun musical footnote to it all. Rihanna's stripped-back ballad "Stay" was a highlight of that tour, and Ronaldo was later spotted singing the very same track during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, an amusing little echo of the night their paths crossed in Lisbon. The two icons have occasionally acknowledged each other over the years, a reminder of how often the worlds of football and music orbit one another.
Sources: Latin Times, Hello Magazine.
Back in 2013, Rihanna's Diamonds World Tour touched down in Lisbon, and it produced one of the more unexpected celebrity crossovers of the year. Cristiano Ronaldo, then with Real Madrid and back in Portugal preparing for a World Cup qualifier, attended the May 28 concert and was invited backstage, where the two posed for a photo, Ronaldo flashing his trademark peace sign and grin beside the singer.
Both stars shared the moment with their massive followings. Rihanna posted it to Instagram with the caption, "Ladies eat your heart out!!! #CristianoRonaldo cam to get jiggly with ya girl #diamondsworldtour #backstagelife," while Ronaldo put it across his own social channels. At the time, the pairing of the world's most famous footballer and one of pop's biggest stars made for instant tabloid fascination.
There's a fun musical footnote to it all. Rihanna's stripped-back ballad "Stay" was a highlight of that tour, and Ronaldo was later spotted singing the very same track during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, an amusing little echo of the night their paths crossed in Lisbon. The two icons have occasionally acknowledged each other over the years, a reminder of how often the worlds of football and music orbit one another.
Sources: Latin Times, Hello Magazine.
