That incident occurred in April. In the Saudi Pro League, Al Hilal faced off against Al Nassr. Before the match, Al Nassr players provoked Cristiano Ronaldo by mimicking him, which irked Al Hilal supporters.
However, the situation took a turn in January after the Portuguese star joined Al Nassr. Saudi Arabian football enthusiasts were seen chanting slogans against Lionel Messi using the slogan’s association with Messi to mock Ronaldo during the Saudi Super Cup. This act did not sit well with Ronaldo, which was evident from his expressions.
Al Hilal supporters didn’t let the opportunity slip by. In that April game, after chanting “Messi! Messi!” in the gallery, they resorted to jeering and criticized Ronaldo for it.
Ronaldo likely learned a lesson from that incident. In a recent Saudi Pro League match, known as the “Riyadh Derby,” a similar scenario unfolded. Al Hilal supporters used the “Messi! Messi!” chant while Ronaldo was leaving the field during a 3-0 loss. Despite the provocation, Ronaldo didn’t lose his composure. He left the field with a smirk and blowing a kiss to Al Nassr’s stars.
After Ronaldo’s substitution, Al Nassr’s Serbian forward, Aleksandar Mitrovic, scored a brace, with the second goal being an assist from Serbian midfielder, Savić. Neymar, who was out of the field due to an injury, watched from the sidelines. Ronaldo was seen engaging in discussions with Al Hilal’s players and the referee several times during the match.
Even though Al Hilal sent the ball into the net, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology ruled it offside. At this point, Al Nassr’s coach, Luis Castro, tried to call the assistant referee to contest the decision, claiming that VAR had made a mistake. However, Ronaldo was offside, so the goal didn’t stand for Al Nassr.
Despite failing to score against Al Hilal, the 38-year-old Ronaldo has been performing well in the Saudi Pro League. With 15 goals in 14 matches, he leads the scoring charts. Al Nassr, with 41 points in 15 matches, maintains the top position, while Al Hilal trails with a 7-point difference, having earned 34 points in the same number of matches.
