In December 2022, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr. He was called an "angry dude" by his teammate just months into his signing for his new club.
The Portugal captain didn't enjoy a great start at Al-Nassr, as he had a couple of outbursts. He stormed off the pitch and ripped off his captain's armband after losing 1-0 to Al-Ittihad.
His second outburst saw him get angry and kick the ball in frustration after the referee had blown for half-time. In the stoppage time in the first half of the Saudi King Cup of Champions match against Abha, Ronaldo was leading a counter-attack for his team when the referee blew his whistle.
The clock showed that there were 30 seconds left in the half, which led to the former Real Madrid attacker losing his cool, showing his anger at the referees and booting the ball away. He was subsequently booked for his actions.
Al-Nassr went on to win the match 3-1, with Cristiano Ronaldo sharing a message on Instagram in March 2023:
"Good victory team! We move on to the semi-final."
His teammate, Anderson Talisca, replied to the Portuguese’s post, cracking a joke:
"Brabo bixo," posted Talisca, which roughly translates to "angry dude".
Al-Nassr eventually lost in the semi-final against Al-Wehda, who lost to Al-Hilal on penalties in the final.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is my inspiration" - Al-Nassr teammate Talisca
Al-Nassr's 30-year-old forward Anderson Talisca, a press conference earlier this year, expressed his admiration for five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is the number one for me in football, he is my inspiration and legend," revealed Talisca.
The former Benfica striker spoke about how passionately Ronaldo plays despite achieving so much in the game.
"Ronaldo plays with the same passion here as he did with Madrid & Juventus. He doesn't need to prove anything to anyone. I just play with him to help him score a lot of goals and win for our team," he said.
Talisca also spoke about how the former Juventus star helps the local players develop.
"Cristiano Ronaldo feels it as a responsibility towards all of us at the club. He helps me and also helps the local players a lot to develop," said Talisca.
Ronaldo and Talisca are expected to be in action for Al-Nassr after the international break, on September 13 against Al-Ahli Saudi.