CRISTIANO Ronaldo has beefed up his personal security… by hiring one of the world’s best bull fighters.
Real Madrid ace Cristiano, 33, has employed shaven-headed strongman Nuno Marecos, whose usual day job is to challenge half-tonne bulls with his bare hands, as his bodyguard.
Hard-man Nuno was drafted in to keep the star safe at last Saturday’s Champions League final in Kiev – and has been booked to follow him around at the World Cup in Russia.
The Portuguese ace moved to bring in ex-paratrooper and MMA fighter Nuno after ISIS threatened to behead the star in a chilling mocked up photo.
A source said: “Ronaldo watches a lot of bullfighting and handpicked Nuno after thinking he was one of the toughest men he’d ever seen.
“He knows that people won’t mess with him if he has someone as tough as him by his side. Nuno was with him almost every waking hour in Kiev and he will be there for him in the World Cup too.”
Nuno – a 6ft 2in man mountain – is best known for leading a group of men based in the town of Chamusca – a 70 mile drive from Lisbon – who entertain crowds in bullfights during their free time.
The ballsy men form a line facing the bull and risk injury and death by encouraging it to charge them before grabbing hold of the animal and trying to overpower it using their combined strength.
Eight men – known as forcados – use their muscle and intelligence to subdue the bull.
Nuno is the leader of his group and as the first man to face the bull, the one whose job it is to egg the animal on to get it to charge before grabbing hold of the its head and holding onto its neck while his team pile in.
Any mistiming could have dramatic consequences. Forcados like Nuno have ended up in comas because of injuries.
The art they practice – which dates back nearly 100 years – is called pega de cara which translates into English as ‘face catch’ – and is usually the final event in a typical Portuguese bullfight.
Unlike in Spain where matadors plunge their swords into bulls, the animals are not killed in front of the crowd in Portugal.
Ronaldo, currently holidaying with his son Cristiano Jr and girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez in Marbella before he joins up with the Portugal squad,
The 33-year-old was stopped from scoring in the Champions League final by a pitch invader who tried to tackle him but was hauled away by security at the last minute.
Nuno was pictured at Ronaldo’s side on the pitch after he celebrated winning his fifth European title.
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