SOCCER
Cristiano Ronaldo reaction as rival fans chant Lionel Messi’s name in the game against Al Ittihad
The Portuguese star was seen reacting sarcastically to the fans who chanted the name of his old rival.
Romarinho bursting down the right channel and slipping the ball under the rushing body of goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi was not what had Cristiano Ronaldo throwing his hands in the air like a 38-year-old Bruno Fernandes. Or is it Bruno who simply does his best Ronaldo impression?
What had Cristiano reeling in anger was the fact that the Al-Ittihad fans were taunting the player by chanting the name of Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s generational competitor, during the 1-0 victory over Al-Nassr. The Portuguese star, who moved to the Saudi Arabian league at the beginning of 2023, could be seen shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders and pulling a quizzed expression as the crowd sang for the World Cup winner. That impossibly obvious look of ‘I’m not bothered’, the one that brings out every emotion except the one you want to.
‘Messi, Messi, Messi’
The scoreboard was 1-0 before the game began: as Ronaldo lined up to take a photo with the referees and opposition captain, fans in front of him began to chant Lionel Messi’s name in an attempt to provoke the player. And boy, did he bite. Ronaldo’s face dropped and he immediately waved his arm, pointing at the ground in a typical movement the player is known for. ‘Here I am’, he motioned.
After the match finished, Ronaldo stormed off the pitch visibly frustrated with both the result and the treatment from the jubilant fans, and expressed his anger by, after he had motioned to perhaps throw his armband, kicking water bottles as he went down the tunnel of the King Abdullah Sports City. Videos are also circling online of Ronaldo turning towards the stands in an attempt to get one back at the fans, sarcastically motioning his hands like a mouth, trying not to appear affected, as a showing of deep disappointment rolled across his face. I hope he sleeps tonight.
Aside from the jokes, the atmosphere was intense in the ground, with over 60,000 fans packed inside for the huge game in the Saudi Pro League, which ended 1-0, thanks to a fine counter-attack led by Romarinho. Al-Ittihad now have a 1 point advantage over Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, with the title race going down to the wire.
Ronaldo probably won’t read this piece, but Lionel Messi might, as soon as he finishes watching videos of the reaction online.