Cristiano Ronaldo brutally mocked by Messi chants in Al-Nassr loss

Cristiano Ronaldo was taunted by chants about Lionel Messi before Al-Nassr’s defeat at the hands of Al-Ittihad in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup on Thursday. The 37-year-old is yet to score his first goal for his new club and drew another blank in his latest appearance for the Riyadh-based outfit, who failed in their bid to reach the final in spite of Ronaldo’s presence on the pitch.

Romarinho put Al-Ittihad a goal to the good after just 15 minutes before doubling their lead through Abderrazak Hamdallah shortly before the half-time whistle. Al-Nassr managed to hit back via Talisca as the clock ticked down but were forced to accept defeat in stoppage time when Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti fired home late on to restore Al-Ittihad’s two-goal advantage.

Ronaldo was a largely peripheral figure throughout the match and was unable to exert his usual influence on proceedings, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner missing a golden chance to score from close range in the first half. He was also forced to contend with chants from Al-Ittihad fans in the stands, with footage having emerged of a large group of supporters shouting: “Messi, Messi, Messi!”

It comes after Ronaldo faced off against Messi for possibly the final time in a friendly match between a Saudi all-star side, which the Portuguese forward captained, and Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month. The French giants managed to claim a 5-4 win at the end of a thrilling encounter, with Messi finding the back of the net in the opening few minutes before Ronaldo chipped in with a brace.

JUST IN: Arsenal ‘will try’ to sign midfielder with Everton’s Onana an option

Ronaldo has only managed one shot on target across his two appearances for Al-Nassr since joining the Saudi club on a lucrative two-year deal at the end of December. His move to the Middle East has sparked no shortage of controversy in the weeks since it was officially confirmed, with former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher telling Sky Sports last month: “In some ways it’s a sad end for him.

“Two of the greatest players of all time in Messi and Ronaldo. That debate has always been there. Ronaldo has finished his career with an interview with Piers Morgan and Messi has won the World Cup. It’s not the best way to go out is it?”

DON’T MISS

Fellow pundit Gary Neville went on to offer an alternative view, saying: “It tells us a couple of things, it shows how serious Saudi Arabia are about football. They’ve invested £350m on one player and are going for the World Cup in 2030.

“I thought he would want to stay in one of the big leagues in Europe, for the rest of the season at least. It tells you that the offer is absolutely staggering and maybe another European club that he wanted to join didn’t really come in for him.

“There’s an element of sadness for me because we’re probably seeing the end of Cristiano Ronaldo playing at the top level. I think we could have still had that at Old Trafford had it been handled differently by both parties, but it clearly had to come to an end and he’s going to see his career out in Saudi.”

Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here.