Rodgers and Ronaldo share a hug on touchline during Saudi clash during Al-Nassr’s shock 2-1 defeat to Al-Qadsiah earlier this season in a moment that generated interest online.
The former Celtic and Liverpool boss explained his relationship with Ronaldo, a player he says his mother admired even if she wasn’t the biggest football fan on Earth.
How does Rodgers know Ronaldo?
"Our connection goes back a long way. When I was a young coach at Chelsea, my mother was at a Chelsea game against Manchester United and wanted to meet Cristiano Ronaldo, who was her favourite player at the time, even though I worked for Chelsea.
"I spoke to Cristiano after the game to see if he could greet my mother, and he did. My mother is no longer with me, she passed away in 2010, but when he met her that day, it meant everything to me and her. He spent some time with her, took a picture, said very kind words to her, and that has always stayed with me. Our connection since that moment has always remained strong.”
Rodgers then revealed that he will never forget how Ronaldo treated his mother, a moment neither one of them has forgotten all these years later.
"He has done incredible things in his career, he’s probably the reason why so many people from Europe and all over the world are here in Saudi Arabia. But I’ll never forget that moment, because it was a really special moment for my mother and obviously for me, and I’ve never forgotten it. My mother was not a Manchester United fan, but a football fan. She knew what a good player was."
Rodgers left Chelsea in 2008 and started his managerial career with short spells at Watford as well as Reading. He has since established himself as an elite manager who Ronaldo clearly still respects despite never playing under him.