Saudi Arabia 39-year-old striker Cristiano Ronaldo insulted his opponent after Al Nassr lost 0-2 to Al Hilal in the final of the Riyadh Cup friendly tournament on February 8.
After the match at the Kingdom Arena, Riyadh, some fans threw an Al Hilal scarf at Ronaldo as the Portuguese striker was walking down the tunnel. Ronaldo picked up a scarf, tucked it into his pants and threw it to his right.
This was just one of Ronaldo's overreactions in the final of the Riyadh Cup. Al Hilal won 2-0 thanks to goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Salem Aldawsari. Ronaldo returned to action after two weeks of injury and did not leave much of an impression.
Ronaldo reacts to the female referee when Al Nassr lost 0-2 to Al Hilal in a friendly match in Riyadh on February 8. Photo: AFP
In the 53rd minute, Ronaldo was given a yellow card by referee Tori Penso. The 39-year-old striker was not happy, continuously waving his arms in protest and seemingly signaling that he wanted to send the female referee home. However, he did not receive any further punishment for this reaction.
During the match, Al Hilal fans repeatedly chanted Lionel Messi's name to provoke Ronaldo. The Portuguese striker responded by facing the stands, making hand gestures, calling for calm and saying "I am Cristiano, not Messi".
At the end of the match, Ronaldo led the Al Nassr members to the podium to receive the award. The former Man Utd and Real Madrid striker was angry with a staff member who was blocking his way, waving his arms in a gesture of attitude and muttering something under his breath.
Ronaldo has had many negative reactions since moving to the Saudi Pro League. He wrestled an opponent to the ground when competing for the ball and was accused of making an inappropriate gesture towards the crowd in a 0-2 loss to Al Hilal, or shouting at a member of the coaching staff about the pitch after a loss to Al Wehda in April 2023. CR7 also shouted and demanded to replace the referee in a 1-0 win over Al Ettifaq at the King's Cup in November 2023.
After completing the Riyadh Cup friendly, Ronaldo and his teammates will begin the second leg of the season with a match against Al Feiha in the first leg of the AFC Champions League round of 16 on February 14.
Hong Duy
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