---
title: "\"The bill is settled, I paid it\": Srna revealed how he saved Ronaldo from a hotel crisis in Kyiv ahead of the 2018 UCL final"
description: "Shakhtar sporting director Dario Srna told Gordon in an interview how, ahead of the 2018 UCL final in Kyiv, he gave his hotel booking to Ronaldo. The Portuguese later fully helped a sick Ukrainian boy."
date: 2026-09-03T08:52:04.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/srna-revealed-how-he-saved-ronaldo-in-kyiv-ahead-of-2018-ucl-final
tags: [cristiano-ronaldo, dario-srna, shakhtar, champions-league, kyiv-2018, real-madrid, football, ukraine]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "The bill is settled, I paid it": Srna revealed how he saved Ronaldo from a hotel crisis in Kyiv ahead of the 2018 UCL final

![Cristiano Ronaldo battling a Croatia player for the ball — photo tied to the story of how Srna helped the Portuguese star in Kyiv before the 2018 Champions League final](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/03/srna-rasskazal-kak-spas-ronaldu-v-kieve-pered-finalom-lch-2018/srna-rasskazal-kak-spas-ronaldu-v-kieve-pered-finalom-lch-2018-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Srna booked 15 rooms in Kyiv and gave three of them to Ronaldo's family at Modric's request
- Srna personally paid the bill for the rooms, expecting no compensation
- Ronaldo called Srna with thanks, and later fully helped a sick Ukrainian child
- The story was told by Srna in an interview with Dmytro Gordon

Dario Srna, sporting director of Donetsk's Shakhtar, revealed a little-known story connected to the 2018 Champions League final in Kyiv in an interview with Dmytro Gordon. According to the Croatian, on the eve of the decisive match between Real and Liverpool, he personally helped Cristiano Ronaldo solve the problem of accommodating his family in a hotel, and the Portuguese repaid the kindness a few months later by fully supporting a sick Ukrainian boy. This is reported by Sport RBC.UA, citing Srna's words.

### Hotel rush on the eve of the final

May 2018. Kyiv is preparing to host the Champions League final, and the city is in a real frenzy: there are virtually no free hotel rooms. Dario Srna, who was in the Ukrainian capital due to Shakhtar's participation in the tournament, had booked 15 rooms in advance for his relatives. It was this seemingly routine decision that turned out to be key for one of the most famous footballers in history. According to Srna, at that time it was extremely difficult to find even a single free room in Kyiv, let alone three for the family of a Real player.

### Modric's call and an unconditional decision

Before the final match, Srna received a call from his Croatian national team teammate Luka Modric. The Croat relayed an urgent request: Cristiano Ronaldo was desperately looking for three hotel rooms for his family, and the situation was becoming critical. Srna, by his own admission, "without hesitation" gave up his own booking. Moreover, he personally paid the bill for the rooms, expecting no compensation whatsoever. "Ronaldo calls: 'Thank you so much, thank you so much.' 'No problem. The bill, I say, is settled. I paid it,'" Srna recalls in his interview with Gordon, relaying the Portuguese's words of gratitude.

### A touching continuation in Madrid

The story got an unexpected and touching continuation a few months later. Already in Madrid, Srna was asked to help a sick boy from Ukraine. The Croat turned to Ronaldo with a request to record a video message or gift a jersey for the child. According to Srna, the Portuguese immediately remembered the Kyiv favor and stated that he would "never forget it." Ronaldo did not stop at the minimal request: he sent a video message, gifted a ticket to a match and, according to Srna, "fully helped the child." "He did everything: sent the ticket and the video to the guy," the Croat emphasized, stressing that Ronaldo's gesture went far beyond the original request.

### Context: Srna and Shakhtar in the current season

The interview in which Srna told this story came against the backdrop of a difficult period for Donetsk's Shakhtar. In other recent statements, the club's sporting director noted that the team had endured "heavy blows" related to the loss of key players, but had retained its character. Srna also stated that Shakhtar is the favorite in the fight for third place in the Champions League group stage, emphasizing the adaptation processes within the squad. Thus, the story with Ronaldo became not just a nostalgic memory, but part of a broader narrative about human connections in world football that go far beyond the playing field.

### Contradictory data

No significant contradictions in the factual part of the story were found in the provided sources. All key details — the number of booked rooms (15), Modric's request, Srna paying the bill, Ronaldo's gratitude and the subsequent help to the Ukrainian child — are consistent with each other within a single source (Srna's interview with Gordon, published by Sport RBC.UA). Additional sources (ua-football.com, korrespondent.net) concern the current situation at Shakhtar and contain no data contradicting Srna's account of the 2018 events.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- ["I will never forget this": Srna revealed how he saved Ronaldo in Kyiv](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/nikoli-tsogo-zabudu-srna-rozpoviv-k-vryatuvav-1788425188.html) - Основной источник. Интервью Срны Гордону. Все ключевые факты: 15 номеров, звонок Модрича, оплата счёта, благодарность Роналду, помощь украинскому ребёнку.
- [Dario Srna: Shakhtar endured heavy blows but retained its character](https://www.ua-football.com/ukrainian/high/1783175987-dario-srna-shahter-perenes-tyazhelye-udary-no-sohranil-svoy-harakter.html) - Контекстный источник. Подтверждает текущую роль Срны как спортивного директора и сложную ситуацию в клубе.
- [Srna: Shakhtar is the favorite in the fight for third place in the group](https://www.ua-football.com/foreign/champions_league/1446616368-srna-shahter-favorit-v-borbe-za-trete-mesto-v-gruppe.html) - Контекстный источник. Подтверждает текущую роль Срны как спортивного директора и сложную ситуацию в клубе.
- [Srna explained how Shakhtar is adapting to the loss of key players](https://korrespondent.net/sport/football/4817981-srna-obiasnyl-kak-shakhter-adaptyruetsia-k-potere-kluichevykh-yhrokov) - Контекстный источник. Подтверждает адаптационные процессы в клубе и публичную активность Срны.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly did Srna do for Ronaldo in Kyiv?
**A:** Srna gave three of the 15 hotel rooms he had booked to Ronaldo's family and personally paid the bill for the stay. The decision was made after a call from Luka Modric, who relayed the Portuguese's urgent request.

### Q: How did Ronaldo thank Srna?
**A:** Right after the final, Ronaldo called Srna and thanked him. A few months later, when Srna asked the Portuguese to help a sick Ukrainian boy, Ronaldo sent a video message, gifted a ticket and, according to Srna, fully helped the child.

### Q: When did these events take place?
**A:** The hotel story dates back to May 2018, on the eve of the Champions League final in Kyiv. The help to the Ukrainian child took place a few months later in Madrid. Srna himself told the story in an interview with Dmytro Gordon, published by Sport RBC.UA.

### Q: What is Dario Srna's current role at Shakhtar?
**A:** Dario Srna holds the position of sporting director at Donetsk's Shakhtar. In recent statements, he discussed the team's adaptation to the loss of key players and the club's competitive prospects in the Champions League.