Uruguayan footballer Luciano Rodriguez suffered an awkward moment when he attempted to kiss his girlfriend while celebrating his summer transfer move to Brazilian giants Cruzeiro being announced.
Rodriguez, an international team-mate of new Liverpool signing Ronald Araujo, joined the Belo Horizonte club on loan from Saudi side Neom. He was joined for the transfer announcement by his other half, stunning influencer Antonela Ciavaglia.
Kiss Attempt Goes Wrong
He invited Ciavaglia on stage for a photo opportunity upon joining the Campeonato Mineiro champions before turning to kiss her. However, the unwitting influencer had already turned to leave, inadvertently snubbing the footballer, who was left scratching his head.
Photographers asked for shots of the couple in order to emphasise the family aspect of Rodriguez's move to Brazil, according to Infobae. The forward attempted to style it out by scratching his head but fans on social media had some fun at the couple's expense.
Social Media Reaction
"How do you bounce back from this sports-wise, bro?" asked one. "Bro touching his hair looks so awkward," said another.
However, Antonela later cleared up the confusion. "I greeted him when I arrived, and I was very nervous when leaving," she said. "I got caught up in the moment and decided to give him some space."
Clarification and Background
She added: "There was no snub or anything like what people are trying to make it seem. The only bad intentions here are yours, taking the moment completely out of context just to get a few views and likes."
Ciavaglia, dubbed the Uruguayan Kim Kardashian, has more than 75,000 followers on TikTok and more than 100,000 on Instagram. She previously dated another Uruguayan footballer, Genoa defender Alan Matturro.
Rodriguez, who made a name for himself at Liverpool Montevideo, is set for a second spell in Brazil after scoring 20 goals in 69 games for Bahia. He has five senior caps for Uruguay but missed out on a place in Marcelo Bielsa's World Cup squad.
"The fans can expect a lot of drive and fight from me," the 23-year-old said upon joining Cruzeiro. "Uruguayans have those characteristics. That is what they can expect from me. I won’t give up on any ball, I’ll always push forward, and I’ll never stop trying."
