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Cristiano Ronaldo was on the receiving end of trolling from rival Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, who likened him to a WWE superstar on Instagram. The veteran forward saw a red card for Al-Nassr in their 1-2 loss to Al-Hilal in their Saudi Super Cup semifinal meeting.
Ronaldo had a game to forget for the Knights of Najd as they succumbed to defeat once more against Al-Hilal. The league leaders booked their passage into the final of the cup, where they will face Al-Ittihad.
The major talking point in the game came when the 39-year-old Portugal international received a straight red card in the 86th minute. He was seen hitting defender Ali Al-Bulayhi with his elbow during a brief scuffle between them.
Al-Hilal wasted no time before making fun of Cristiano Ronaldo, likening his action during the scuffle to one worthy of WWE's Wrestlemania. They made a post on Instagram showing a similar action in a game against them last year, captioning the video with a hilarious quote.
"The star of the ring at every party 🥊 #Wrestlemania XL is not over yet, the main show just started."
Al-Hilal have now defeated Al-Nassr both times they have faced them this season, as well as in the Riyadh Cup in February. Both sides will still face each other once more in the league, in May, as the 2023-24 season nears its conclusion.
Cristiano Ronaldo leads the goalscoring charts in Saudi, in spite of which his side remain 12 points behind Al-Hilal in the race for the league crown. They will now turn to the King Cup of Champions for their last hope of silverware this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Nassr in danger of trophyless season
Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to end the 2023-24 season, his first full one at the club, without any silverware. The 39-year-old was red carded in his side's defeat to Al-Hilal, who will face Karim Benzema's Al-Ittihad in the final of the Super Cup.
The Knights of Najd are in second place in the Saudi Pro League, where they lie behind Al-Hilal in their bid to win the league. They also finished second behind Al-Ittihad last season, when Ronaldo featured in just half of the campaign.
Having also been knocked out of the AFC Champions League by Emirati side Al-Ain, they have seen most of their silverware hopes evaporate. They will now turn their collective attention to their match against Al-Khaleej in the semi-final of the King Cup of Champions next month.
