Cristiano Ronaldo was not pleased to hear Lionel Messi chants from Al Hilal fans on Tuesday night. The Al Nassr star grabbed his crotch in anger while leaving the pitch after the 2-0 loss.
A video of the Portuguese star's rude gesture towards Al Hilal fans has gone viral on social media.
Lionel Messi has recently been linked with a move to Al Hilal, and thus their fans have been chanting his name this season. The club also mocked Al Nassr and Cristiano Ronaldo by selling Messi shirts on the day of his unveiling.
Al Hilal coach Ramon Diaz spoke about signing Messi earlier this season and said:
"It grows all over the world; it was seen in the World Cup. Clubs can have eight foreigners; you can have the best because there are no financial problems. ... It happened with Ronaldo, and most of Al Hilal's foreigners are international. If they continue like this, they will grow. The presence of Cristiano [Ronaldo] is important to give football more expectation. They have the possibility of buying Messi, imagine the power they have."
Reports suggest Al Hilal are ready to offer over €200 million per season to lure Messi to Saudi Arabia.
Lionel Messi urged to join Cristiano Ronaldo by Nasser Al-Attiyah
Qatari rally driver Nasser Al-Attiyah has urged Lionel Messi to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia. He believes that Saudi clubs have the money to lure him to the Middle East in the summer.
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he said:
"It's difficult for Messi to go back to Barcelona after PSG. PSG are a rich club and they have a clear plan. What I think now is that an Arabian club will, in a few months, sign Messi. And I can tell you which one: I'm sure he'll go to Al-Hilal."
Al-Attiyah added:
"There's a lot of money here, and players are looking for a big contract. Saudi Arabia wants to host the World Cup. You've already seen in my country, the Qatar World Cup was incredible and now everyone is fighting for Arabia to win the 2030 World Cup bid. I think that they need big names in their league, so that more people come here and football improves with sights set on the World Cup."
Barcelona are confident of signing Messi in the summer, while Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to remain at Al Nassr.