Aaron Hickey relives the Cristiano Ronaldo clash that had proud pals sending him YouTube clip

Maybe the Bologna fans were right about Aaron Hickey after all.

When the Scot moved to Italy three years ago, they jumped on that age-old stereotype and assumed he was some sort of hatchet man. Now, anyone who knows the former Hearts kid will appreciate how wide of the mark that is. If anything, Hickey was a success story in Serie A because of how technically gifted he is with both feet. But he might be more of a baby-faced assassin than we think.

After all, type his name into a YouTube search engine and it’s not a goal or a piece of skill that flashes up. Instead, it’s a clip of Hickey absolutely bodying none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. It’s had tens of thousands of views already.

During Brentford’s stunning 4-0 hammering of Manchester United in August, the 20-year-old cemented the Portuguese superstar with a shoulder charge that sent him flying. It typified the Bees’ performance that day. It gave Hickey hero status among the home crowd.

And it was the beginning of the end for Ronaldo in his second ill-fated spell at United. But above all of that, it showed what Hickey is all about.

Nothing fazes him. You don’t play for Hearts in a Scottish Cup Final at 16 if you’ve not got balls. You don’t leave Scotland on your own to play in Italy if you’re afraid of what's around the corner.

And now in the Premier League, Hickey is showing that he doesn’t care who he comes up against on the wing. Ronaldo found that out.

So ahead of Scotland’s Euro 2024 qualifying clash with Spain at Hampden on Tuesday night, Hickey isn’t about to get rattled at the thought of taking on some of La Liga’s top boys. As he reflected on the Ronaldo incident - as well as his own mental strength - he said: “Sometimes you do get a little bit nervous