Cristiano Ronaldo had a hilarious reaction to fans chanting the name of arch-rival Lionel Messi in the Saudi Pro League. The Al-Nassr forward has been greeted with mocking chants at many away grounds since moving to Saudi Arabia nearly two years ago.
Ronaldo has not always had the best reaction to chants of Messi’s name. In February, he angrily rubbed an item of Al-Hilal merchandise on his crotch in response to fans of the club singing about Messi. Al-Nassr lost that game 2-0.
But during a 1-1 draw with the same team on Friday night, the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star seemed in a much more humorous mood. Al-Ahli supporters began the usual chant of “Messi, Messi, Messi…”
Fan footage panned to Ronaldo, who laughed along with team-mate Talisca. The veteran forward continued to smile at the supporters and put his thumb up at them. He then gestured for them to continue singing the chant.
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Talisca put Al-Nassr 1-0 ahead in the first minute. However, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic equalised in the 77th minute to leave Ronaldo and his colleagues frustrated.
Al-Nassr needed to beat Al-Hilal to close the gap on their Pro League title rivals. Ronaldo and co. remain six points behind the league leaders and four points behind second-placed Al-Ittihad.
Ronaldo is yet to win the league since his switch to Saudi Arabia, which came in the aftermath of his high-profile exit from Man Utd towards the end of 2022. It could be another frustrating season for the Public Investment Fund-backed outfit.
Al-Nassr are one of four teams who are majority-owned by PIF and have spent huge sums of money attempting to win the Pro League. They came second to the unbeaten Al-Hilal last season.
Ronaldo continues to boast some impressive personal numbers, though. He has scored nine goals in 13 appearances this season and has scored in all but two of the Pro League games he has played in.
The Portugal captain scored 35 goals in 31 league appearances last season, bagging a remarkable 44 across all competitions. In total, he has scored 67 goals in 77 appearances since joining the Riyadh-based club in the aftermath of the 2022 World Cup.
Ronaldo’s only silverware in that time is the 2023 Champions Cup, though. He will be desperate to ensure he wins the Pro League before he hangs up his boots.
