Al Nassr forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, made an obscene gesture towards a section of Al Hilal supporters who chanted “Messi, Messi, Messi” as he walked off the pitch.
The frustrating night resulted in his side dropping crucial points in the Saudi Pro League title race.
The home side sealed all three points, thanks to a brace from former Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo, who performed Lionel Messi’s iconic celebration after slotting away both penalties.
As Ronaldo left the pitch, a large section of Al Hilal fans inside the 35,000 capacity stadium decided to chant Messi’s name, which led to Ronaldo’s gesture.
After the match 🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/H0h87fkCkl
— The Toon Army 🇸🇦 🤍🖤 (@aziiz_1992_) April 18, 2023
Some supporters waved Messi shirts as they celebrated a significant win over title rivals Al Nassr. In the footage above, Ronaldo appeared to respond to those chants and shirt waves with an indecent gesture before making his way down the ‘Blue Jewel’ tunnel.
The ‘Messi, Messi, Messi’ chant has become a regular feature when Cristiano Ronaldo plays an away fixture in Saudi Arabia. In January, after Al Nassr suffered a 3-1 defeat in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final, Al Ittihad fans taunted Portugal’s all-time top goalscorer with the same chant.
And a section of Al Ittihad fans were at it again last month when they earned a 1-0 win over Al Nassr.
Footage soon emerged after the full-time whistle of supporters trying to wind up Ronaldo by screaming Lionel Messi’s name, and he responded by cupping his hands as if he was not interested in the remarks.
The 38-year-old also appeared to shrug his shoulders in disgust.
Fans on social media were quick to react to the latest batch of Messi chants. One said: “Ain’t no way Ronaldo got triggered by the opponents chanting Messi’s name.”
Another wrote: “Must be a nightmare, in Europe it was few matches but in this league it’s everyday.”
Away from the chants and Ronaldo was booked by referee Michael Oliver during the Al Hilal defeat on Tuesday after putting a headlock on one of his opponents in mid-air.