Ronaldo taunted with Messi chants after Al Nassr derby loss،
Cristiano Ronaldo left the field with joyous chants of “Messi, Messi, Messi!” ringing in his ears from delighted Al Hilal fans who had just watched their Saudi Pro League side beat Portuguese superstar Al Nassr 3-0 in the Riyadh derby on Friday.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner may have finished on the losing team – Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice after fellow Serbian Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring for Al Hilal – but Ronaldo still remains at the center of the attention of Saudi football.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (US)
When the 38-year-old warmed up, there were cheers from several thousand away fans, many of whom had the number 7 on their backs, and boos from the masses of home supporters.
In the previous 14 games of the league season, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker had scored 15 goals to move to the top of the goalscoring charts and help Al Nassr, who also boasts former Liverpool star Sadio Mané, Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and the former Manchester man. United defender Alex Telles sits second in the league behind Al Hilal.
“Cristiano is an example for everyone, an example that Al Nassr is lucky to have,” said Al Nassr coach Luis Castro. “He is an example of rigor, ambition and discipline.
“Many people want to be like Cristiano Ronaldo, but few want to work like Cristiano Ronaldo. If you want something, you have to give everything to get it.”
Ronaldo tried everything on Friday. In the second half, with Al Nassr trailing by a solitary goal, he fired a fierce volley high into the net, but it was ruled out slightly for offside. Shortly after, he rolled on the ground of Al Hilal’s penalty area, claiming he had been elbowed.
When Mitrovic scored his first goal and Al Hilal’s second late in the match, Ronaldo insisted he had been fouled in the build-up.
Al Nassr coach Luis Castro actually showed his phone to the referee after Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal to tie the match against Al Hilal was disallowed after a VAR check 😅 pic.twitter.com/l2wbH29Cma
–ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) December 1, 2023
Al Hilal have their own superstar, but a less influential one at the moment as Neymar, who signed from Paris Saint-Germain in August, was seriously injured while on international duty with Brazil in October.
On social media, Neymar sent good luck messages to his teammates, such as Mitrovic, midfielder Rúben Neves and defender Kalidou Koulibaly, all of whom arrived this summer as highly regarded players in the English Premier League.
They joined several Saudi internationals in the team, such as Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Al-Shehri, who scored against Lionel Messi’s Argentina in Saudi Arabia’s famous 2-1 Cup win of the world 2022.
Defeat in Friday’s derby left Al Nassr seven points behind leaders Al Hilal after 15 rounds. Ronaldo may have his work cut out for him to help his side win title number 10 but, given his form so far this season, he could yet have the last laugh as Messi chants fade.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
