Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to make a vulgar gesture in the direction of a section of fans during Al-Nassr’s most recent defeat, after hearing them chanting Lionel Messi’s name.
The Portuguese star was in Saudi League action against 4th placed Al-Hilal as his side looked to close the gap on league leaders Al-Ittihad, but two penalties from former Manchester United striker Odeon Ighalo saw them fall to a 2-0 defeat, and leave Al-Ittihad three points clear at the top and with a game in hand on Ronaldo’s side.
The Portuguese star didn’t have the best night, and was lucky not to be sent off for a WWE-like tackle that referee Michael Oliver felt only deserved a yellow card.
And Ronaldo’s evening got worse in the immediate aftermath of the defeat, when he seemed to respond to taunts by the opposition in favour of his arch-rival, Lionel Messi.
As per the Mirror, ‘as Ronaldo made his way off the pitch at the King Fahd International Stadium, he was met by huge jeers and chants of “Messi” from the home fans. The Portugal international then grabbed his genitals, appearing to make a lewd gesture towards the supporters’.
Cristiano Ronaldo makes obscene gesture to Al-Hilal fans after leaving the field defeated and under the cries of “Messi, Messi, Messi” 😮
📽️ @wtrx5 https://t.co/xnsyCsfPOQ
— VAR Tático (@vartatico) April 18, 2023
Lionel Messi, of course, faced off against Ronaldo plenty of times in their careers in Spain, and is the only player in World football to boast more Ballon D’ors than the Portugal star.
Ronaldo, who left Manchester United when his contract was mutually terminated following an explosive interview in November, joined Al-Nassr at the end of January and has scored 11 times in 11 outings for his new side, though he has failed to score in either of his last two games.