Cristiano Ronaldo went off the field with jubilant chants of “Messi, Messi, Messi!” echoing in his ears from Al-Hilal fans who had just witnessed their Saudi Pro League team defeat the Portugal superstar’s Al-Nassr 3-0 in the Riyadh Derby on Friday.
Although the five-time Ballon d’Or winner finished on the losing side (Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice after fellow Serbian Sergej Milinkovic-Savic began the scoring for Al-Hilal), Ronaldo remains the center of interest in Saudi Arabian soccer.
As thousands of cars drove east out of downtown Riyadh to watch the top two league teams and bitter local rivals face off at the King Fahd International Stadium — the last game at the arena for three years as it is being renovated to host the 2027 Asian Cup and the anticipated 2034 World Cup — one Al-Nassr fan leaned out and asked, “Are you here to see Cristiano?”
When Ronaldo warmed up, there were applause from the thousands of away fans, many of whom wore the number 7, and jeers from the throngs of home fans. Even in such inhospitable areas, parents pointed out the 38-year-old soccer great to their children.
Saudi soccer hasn’t been the same since the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward arrived in December.
Even fans of Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia’s and Asia’s most successful team, with 18 and four championships, respectively, recognize what he has done at Al-Nassr, which has nine domestic titles.
“He has raised the level of football in Riyadh,” Riyadh resident Fahad Al-Qahtani, 25, told The Associated Press. “Al-Hilal will still be champion this season and we are still the biggest in Asia but Ronaldo has been amazing.”
Ronaldo had scored 15 goals in the previous 14 league games to lead the scoring charts and enable Al-Nassr climb into second place behind Al-Hilal. Sadio Mane from Liverpool, Marcelo Brozovic from Inter Milan, and Alex Telles from Manchester United are now among his teammates.
“Cristiano is an example for everyone, an example that Al-Nassr are lucky to have,” Al-Nassr coach Luis Castro remarked. “He exemplifies rigor, ambition, and discipline.” Many people aspire to be like Cristiano Ronaldo, but few aspire to work like Cristiano Ronaldo. If you desire something, you have to give it everything.”
On Friday, Ronaldo tried everything. With Al-Nassr behind by a single goal in the second half, he fired a ferocious volley high into the net, but it was called out for offside. Soon after, he rolled around the Al-Hilal penalty area, claiming to have been elbowed. Late in the game, Mitrovic scored his first goal and Al-Hilal scored his second.
Ronaldo persisted on being fouled during the buildup.
Hilal has its own superstar, but he is less significant right now because Neymar, who joined from PSG in August, suffered a catastrophic injury while on international duty with Brazil in October.
On social media, Neymar wished his colleagues, including Mitrovic, Ruben Neves, and Kalidou Koulibaly, who all arrived in the summer as highly rated English Premier League players. They joined other Saudi Arabian internationals in the team, including Salem Al-Dawsari and Saleh Al-Shehri, who scored against Argentina’s Lionel Messi in Saudi Arabia’s legendary 2-1 World Cup victory in 2022.
After 15 games, Al-Nassr are seven points behind leader Al-Hilal after the derby defeat on Friday. Ronaldo may have his job cut out for him to help his team win its tenth title, but given his success this season, he may still get the last laugh as the Messi shouts fade away.