The 37-year-old soccer great was interviewed by officers in relation to an allegation of assault and criminal damage following the incident at Goodison Park on April 9 following United's 1-0 loss.
The Telegraph reported that as Ronaldo made his way towards the tunnel, he appeared to smash the phone out of 14-year-old Jacob Harding's hand before disappearing from view. Sarah Kelly and her autistic son Jacob had been watching their first Premier League match together when Ronaldo lost his temper.
Ronaldo apologised for the incident after the game, writing on Instagram: "It's never easy to deal with emotions in difficult moments such as the one we are facing. Nevertheless, we always have to be respectful, patient and set the example for all the youngsters who love the beautiful game. I would like to apologise for my outburst and, if possible, I would like to invite this supporter to watch a game at Old Trafford as a sign of fair play and sportsmanship."
Ms Kelly, however, told Telegraph Sport that Jacob could not sleep afterwards and that he suffered pain to the inside of his thumb, as well as apparent bruising on his hand.
Ms Kelly added: “I thought, ‘How rude - you are telling everybody you have apologised and you haven’t’. OK, you have put it out to social media but … you should be apologising to my son.
“He [Ronaldo] had several hours to ponder on it. He should have found out our contact details … been private, said he had spoken to us and released something. I would have been happy with that.”
Merseyside Police launched an investigation after a clip of the incident was circulated online.
“We can confirm that a 37-year-old man voluntarily attended and was interviewed under caution in relation to an allegation of assault and criminal damage,” Merseyside Police said in a statement on Thursday (NZT).
“The allegation relates to an incident following the Everton v Manchester United football match at Goodison Park on Saturday April 9. The matter has been dealt with by way of conditional caution.
“The matter has now concluded.''
Under British law, a caution is essentially a warning given out by police for a minor crime if the person admits to the offence. A conditional caution means the person must also fulfil a certain obligation, such as replacing damaged property.
