Cristiano Ronaldo is on the verge of another failure with Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia. In 2023, the Portuguese legend couldn’t secure any trophies with his new club and it seems like history is about to repeat itself.
In the Saudi Pro League, Al Nassr have practically fallen out of the title race with a 12-point deficit to the clear favorite, Al Hilal. Although there are 11 matches left in the schedule, a comeback seems impossible.
Therefore, the last hope for Cristiano Ronaldo is the AFC Champions League. This Monday, the second-leg match of the quarterfinals against Al Ain will be played and the team from the United Arab Emirates holds a 1-0 advantage.
Moreover, the pressure is immense for CR7 after he was suspended for making an obscene gesture toward fans of Lionel Messi.
Cristiano Ronaldo talked about the incident with fans of Lionel Messi (Getty Images)
Why Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended in Saudi Arabia?
Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended for making a gesture that was deemed obscene by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. This incident occurred a few week ago during a match against Al Shabab.
When that game ended, several videos captured CR7 touching his ear before repeatedly moving his hand forward in front of his pelvic area. The gesture apparently was directed toward fans of Al Shabab who were chanting the name of Lionel Messi. CR7 finally spoke about that incident.
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“I will always respect the cultures of all countries, as I have respected to this day, but not always what people see is reality. As I said and I will say again, it is obvious that I will not do it again in this country, but in Europe, it is very normal. Sometimes the passion and excitement of the game leads us to make some mistakes.”
The controversy between Cristiano Ronaldo and fans of Lionel Messi
Furthermore, in the pre-match press conference against Al Ain in the AFC Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo admitted that he never intended to insult the fans.
“Some people have a poor understanding of things and my actions are sometimes not correctly understood. What I did and what I was punished for was a misunderstanding. I respect the country I live in. Who doesn’t make mistakes in life?” stated the 39-year-old. I’m happy in Saudi Arabia. Emotions make one act before thinking. I didn’t have the intention of hurting people.”
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