Why Ronaldo and Caballero stood sideways during their country’s national anthems

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a terrific hattrick to salvage a 3-3 draw for Portugal against Spain.

The Portuguese forward stole the show in Portugal’s game against Spain as he put three past David De Gea in a star-studded match against Spain. The Real Madrid star broke the deadlock just four minutes into the game, and then scored at the brink of half time as De Gea committed a howler in front of goal.

Ronaldo finished the game with a delicious free-kick to earn Portugal a point.

However, as Ronaldo grabbed headlines for his performance during the game, many people also talked about something the Portuguese forward did before the match.

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During the national anthems, when every player was facing straight and singing their hearts out, Ronaldo was facing sideways.

Interestingly, the next day, Willy Caballero did the exact same thing ahead of Argentina’s game against Iceland, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

While many wondered why both the players stood sideways when the rest of the teams were looking up-front, the answer doesn’t really suggest a pre-game ritual or superstition.

Both Ronaldo and Caballero were actually looking at the direction of their national flags, which were hoisted on the top of the stadiums. The duo was singing the national anthem while looking at their flags, as a sign of respect and patriotism.

Both Portugal and Argentina are seen as strong contenders in the World Cup this year, and while Portugal impressed with a 3-3 draw against Spain, Argentina’s weaknesses were exposed by Iceland.

Poor defending led to Argentina conceding a goal soon after they took the lead in the 19th minute.

While Portugal will now face Morocco on June 20 at Luzhniki Stadium, Argentina faces a tough test from Croatia, who won their first game against Nigeria 2-0. They match will take place at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 21.