Cristiano Ronaldo for Al Nassr. (Credit: Twitter)
After the game had concluded, the Al Shadab crowd roared with chants of “Messi, Messi” at Ronaldo, to which the Portuguese cupped his ear and went on to make the gesture of continually pumping his hand in front of his pelvic area towards the opposition fans.
Cristiano Ronaldo seems to be making the headline once again but for the wrong reasons. The Portuguese forward is in hot water with Saudi fans and the League alike after having appeared to make an obscene gesture to the fans after Al Nassr’s 3-2 win over Al Shadab last night.
Ronaldo, who has been in blistering form in the Saudi Pro League as their top scorer, opened the scoring for his side with a penalty in the 21st minute. With the added aid of Brazilian Talisca’s brace, Al Nassr secured the thrilling win.
After the game had concluded, the Al Shadab crowd roared with chants of “Messi, Messi” at Ronaldo, to which the Portuguese cupped his ear and went on to make the gesture of continually pumping his hand in front of his pelvic area towards the opposition fans.
The incident was not caught on television cameras, but multiple spectators had shot footage of the same from the stands and took to social media to share the same.
No statement has been released by the Saudi Pro League as of yet, but Saudi newspaper Asharq al-Awsat stated that the Saudi Arabia Football Federation (SAFF) had opened an investigation into the same.
This is not the first time Ronaldo has garnered criticism for his celebrations. In April of last year, a similar incident transpired when the Portuguese forward appeared to grab his genitals whilst walking towards the dugout after a Saudi Pro League encounter against Al Hilal, which Al Nassr lost 2-0.
Earlier this month, he picked up an Al Hilal scarf thrown at him from the stands, put it in his shorts and then threw it away as he walked towards the tunnel after Al Nassr lost 2-0 in the Riyadh Season Cup final.
Also in his previous tenure in Juventus, Ronaldo was criticized for a similar pelvic thrust celebration towards the Atletico Madrid fans after he scored a hattrick to knock out the side from the UEFA Champions League in a return leg.
Currently though, Ronaldo continues to thrive in the Saudi League, topping the scoring charts with 22 goals in 20 appearance, with Al Nassr second in the league points table with 52 points, four behind rivals Al Hilal.
(with inputs from agencies)