Cristiano Ronaldo was the centre of attention during Al Nassr’s 1-0 loss to Al Ittihad in their Saudi Pro League title showdown.
Al Nassr looked to be holding on to claim a 0-0 draw at the home of their title rivals, but a late goal from Romarinho saw Al Ittihad – managed by former Tottenham and Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo – take the points to usurp them at the top of the table.
Ronaldo has scored eight goals in seven Saudi Pro League games since making his move to the Middle East this winter, and while clips of his goals have gone viral, so has his reaction to Thursday’s defeat.
Where is Ronaldo ? pic.twitter.com/hJ7zjE7dGb
— Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) March 9, 2023
After beat Al Nassr, Al Ittihad uploaded a video to Twitter of their star forward getting tackled alongside a caption of “Where is Ronaldo?”.
But Ronaldo was the subject of taunts even during the match. A crowd of over 57,000 was present at King Abdullah Sports City to cheer on Al Ittihad, with videos showing fans chanting the name of Lionel Messi to Ronaldo’s displeasure.
no because this is ronaldo’s reaction to the whole stadium chanting MESSI MESSI MESSI😭 pic.twitter.com/Vw06iLggQe
— 𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐚 (@loyaImessi) March 10, 2023
At full-time, Ronaldo stormed off the pitch in anger and disappointing, booting a water bottle on the touchline and throwing down the captain’s armband on his way back to the dressing room.
Cristiano Ronaldo stormed off the pitch and kicked a water bottle following Al-Nassr 1-0 defeat to title rivals Al-Ittihad. 👀 pic.twitter.com/IJZNKYWXQk
— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) March 10, 2023
This was the second game in a row in which Ronaldo has failed to score for Al Nassr, who now face an uphill battle to win the Saudi Pro League with five games remaining.