Cristiano Ronaldo was ridiculed just two games into his Al-Nassr career on Thursday night, as his side failed to beat Al-Ittihad in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup.
The Portuguese superstar had the chance to lift his first piece of silverware on Sunday in the final of the same competition, but instead, Al-Nassr lost 3-1 to Al-Ittihad to end any chance of that happening.
Al-Fayha beat Al-Hilal in the other semi-final, with the Saudi Super Cup final being played on Sunday at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh.
During Al-Nassr's 3-1 loss, Ronaldo faced ridicule from Moroccan striker Abderrazak Hamdallah after he doubled Al-Ittihad's lead in the 43rd minute of the game, following Romarinho's early goal. Hamdallah played four games at World Cup 2022 for his nation, coming on as a substitute in each match.
Indeed, Hamdallah replicated Lionel Messi's famous 2017 goal celebration at the Bernabeu, holding a shirt towards the crowd, name facing first. While not his own shirt, Hamdallah's celebration was still reminiscent of that Messi display after he had scored a vital last-minute winner in a La Liga fixture in 2017, sinking Ronaldo and Real Madrid.
Ronaldo had missed a crucial opportunity to draw the game level just moments earlier, too, further annoying the 37-year-old. With Hamdallah celebrating, Ronaldo waved his arms in complete frustration at his teammates.
To make matters worse, Saudi fans at the King Fahd International Stadium chanted "Messi, Messi" as Ronaldo trudged down the tunnel at the end of the game, ridiculing the 37-year-old's inability to affect the semi-final tie.
حسرة النجم العالمي ( كرستيانو رونالدو ) بعد الخسارة من #الاتحاد #الاتحاد_النصر pic.twitter.com/zp0g8Uey7lJanuary 26, 2023
Al-Nassr's semi-final loss is just Ronaldo's second game for the club since his controversial transfer to the club at the start of the month, following his mutual contract termination at Manchester United. His first start came against Ettifaq last Sunday in a 1-0 win. He is still awaiting his first goal, however.
Ronaldo did manage a brace against Paris Saint-Germain in an exhibition match for a Riyadh all-star XI, a match in which Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both scored in as the French side won 5-4.
