Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo went into the locker room right after the Saudi Arabian Super Cup final, not accepting the medal for the runner-up team.

In the 72nd minute of the Saudi Arabian Super Cup final on the evening of August 17, Al Nassr goalkeeper Bento had a bad touch on the ball. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Malcom stole the ball to seal a 4-1 victory for Al Hilal. Immediately after, Cristiano Ronaldo clasped his hands together to signal to his teammates that they had “fallen asleep”.

 

Ronaldo signaled to his teammates who fell asleep during the Saudi Arabian Super Cup final on the evening of August 17.

Before that, in the 44th minute, Ronaldo himself scored the opening goal for Al Nassr. But with a goal from Milinkovic-Savic in the 55th minute, a double from Mitrovic in the 63rd and 69th minutes, and then a goal from Malcom, Al Hilal won 4-1. After the match, Ronaldo immediately left the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Sports City stadium. He did not join his teammates at the awards ceremony, in which Al Nassr members took turns receiving medals for the second-place team.

 

Ronaldo went into the locker room right after the Saudi Arabia Super Cup final.

The defeat in the Saudi Arabian Super Cup final means Ronaldo continues to be empty-handed with Al Nassr in official competitions. Since signing for the Saudi Arabian club, he has finished runner-up in the Saudi Pro League twice, lost two semi-finals and one final of the Saudi Arabian Super Cup, lost one semi-final and one final of the King’s Cup, and was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the AFC Champions League. The only title Ronaldo has won with Al Nassr is the 2023 Arab Champions Cup friendly.

Despite coming up empty-handed in major tournaments, Ronaldo still achieved high personal achievements, scoring 66 goals in 72 matches for Al Nassr. Last season, the Portuguese striker was the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League, with a record 35 goals.

Ronaldo was disappointed in the Saudi Arabian Super Cup final, Al Nassr 1-4 Al Hilal on the evening of August 17. Photo: Al Nassr

Opposing fans in Saudi Arabia often taunt Ronaldo by chanting the name of Lionel Messi, the 2022 World Cup winner and his rival in La Liga. The recent Saudi Arabian Super Cup final was no exception.

Last season, Al Hilal won the Saudi Pro League, King’s Cup and Saudi Arabian Super Cup. Their 4-1 win over Al Nassr further confirmed their superiority. Al Hilal will kick off the 2024-2025 Saudi Pro League campaign on August 24 with an away match against Al Okhdood, while Al Nassr will host Al Raed.