‘Uruguayan Kim Kardashian’ snubs footballer boyfriend at awkward unveiling ceremony

Uruguay striker Luciano Rodriguez was left red-faced during his Cruzeiro unveiling after his girlfriend Anto Ciavaglia appeared to reject his attempt at a kiss on stage. 

The awkward moment quickly went viral, but the model has insisted there was no disrespect behind her surprising reaction.

Rodriguez was celebrating one of the latest moves of his football career after joining Brazilian giants Cruzeiro on loan, with Ciavaglia alongside him for the unveiling ceremony.

However, the presentation took an unexpected turn when the 23-year-old striker leaned towards his girlfriend for a kiss in front of the cameras. Instead of returning the gesture, Ciavaglia turned away and walked off, leaving Rodriguez standing alone for several seconds.

The Uruguay international appeared visibly confused before attempting to play down the awkward situation by running his hand through his hair. Footage of the incident spread rapidly across social media, with one clip reportedly attracting more than 4.6 million views.

Ciavaglia, who has more than 170,000 Instagram followers and has been dubbed the ‘Uruguayan Kim Kardashian’, was subsequently forced to explain what happened.

“When I entered, I greeted him and when I left, I was very nervous,” she said, adding, “The moment overwhelmed me and I preferred to give him space. There was no disrespect or anything like what they are trying to make it seem like.”

While the viral moment stole the headlines, Rodriguez has plenty of reasons to be excited about his move to Cruzeiro.

The 23-year-old has earned five caps for Uruguay and previously won the Under-20 World Cup as well as the Uruguayan Primera División with Liverpool Montevideo in 2023.

After spending two seasons in Brazil with Bahia, Rodriguez moved to Saudi Pro League side Neom last season, where he scored six goals in 30 appearances.

He has now returned to Brazil on loan with Cruzeiro, with the deal reportedly including a £14.95 million option to make the transfer permanent. Rodriguez will join former Leeds United forward Luis Sinisterra and ex-West Bromwich Albion midfielder Matheus Pereira at the club.

Away from the footballer’s career, Ciavaglia has built her own profile and has embraced her unusual comparison to Kim Kardashian.

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The model was dubbed the ‘Uruguayan Kim Kardashian’ by Uruguayan newspaper El Pais in 2021. Asked about the comparison at the time, Ciavaglia said: “It’s super cute because I love her. I’m a huge fan.” And despite their awkward moment on stage, there appears to be no cause for concern for the couple.