 "Cristiano Ronaldo surprised fans with a calm response as they taunted him with Messi chants. Image: Reuters")
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have long been separated since leaving La Liga, moving to different leagues and clubs over the years. Yet, wherever they play, fans never fail to remind them of their iconic rivalry. Opponent fans often use this rivalry, particularly to taunt either Ronaldo or Messi, aiming to disrupt their focus.
Recently, 39-year-old Ronaldo once again faced “Messi, Messi” chants during a Saudi Pro League game. However, the Portuguese star’s reaction has been winning hearts online.
Ronaldo surprises with his gesture to Messi chants
Ronaldo, who now plays for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League after joining the club from Manchester United in 2022, encountered the chants during a match against Al-Taawoun on Friday at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah. The game ended in a 1-1 draw , but fans attempted to rattle Ronaldo by chanting the name of Argentine legend Messi.
While Ronaldo has reacted angrily to similar taunts in the past, this time, he kept his composure. Instead of showing frustration, he simply raised his thumb and smiled at the opposition fans, signalling that he may have finally moved past the impact these chants once had on him.
Watch Ronaldo’s reaction to Messi chants:
To give you an idea of how angry Ronaldo can get on chants we just need to go back to February last year when the Al-Nassr footballer was seemingly caught making obscene gestures at Al-Shabab fans after they started jeering him with Messi’s name.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr faces Al-Khaleej on Tuesday
Coming back to the Al-Nassr vs Al-Taawoun match. Saad Fahad Al Nasser had given Al-Taawoun a 1-0 lead late in the first half but Aymeric Laporte scored the equaliser for Ronaldo’s side. The Portuguese footballer had a rather sedate game as all his shots were blocked by Al-Taawoun’s defence.
As a result, Al-Nassr continue to be in fourth place in the Saudi Pro League table with 29 points from 15 matches while Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad are first and second respectively with 40 points each from 15 games. Al-Qadsiah are third with 31 points.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr will be back in action on Tuesday (21 January) with a league game against Al-Khaleej at the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium at 8.20 PM IST. Al-Khaleej have accumulated 23 points from 15 matches so far.