- Al-Hilal captain wrong-footed Ronaldo with his brazen celebration
- Ronaldo was furious with his Al-Nassr teammates after they lost 4-1
- LISTEN NOW: It’s all about to begin! Available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
Al-Hilal captain Salem Al-Dawsari added insult to injury for Cristiano Ronaldo by mimicking Lionel Messi’s celebration when he won the 2022 World Cup.
Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr suffered a 4-1 defeat in the final of the Saudi Super Cup. Two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic and goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Malcom gave Al-Hilal the victory.
Salem were clearly not satisfied with simply beating Ronaldo in the final, but wanted to step it up a notch when the cups were handed out.
After collecting the trophy, Salem moved from left to right as he walked in front of his teammates before holding the silverware aloft.
It was an exact replica of what Messi did at the World Cup in Qatar, when he led Argentina to a thrilling penalty shootout victory over France in the final.
Salem celebrates leading Al-Hilal to victory over Al-Nassr in the Saudi Super Cup final
It was a Saudi Arabian Super Cup final to forget for Cristiano Ronaldo as his team were defeated 4-1
Al-Hilal captain Salem Al-Dawsari copied Lionel Messi’s trophy celebration at the World Cup
Messi slowly skipped forward onto the podium before holding the trophy aloft with his team
As if mimicking Messi’s World Cup celebration wasn’t enough, Ronaldo also had to deal with Al-Hilal fans chanting the Argentine’s name when he was 4-1 down.
Al Hilal’s fourth goal that evening also prompted a furious reaction from the 39-year-old.
Malcom took advantage of a sloppy pass from Al-Nassr in their penalty area to score, prompting Ronaldo to gesture to his teammates that they had been “asleep”.
Ronaldo’s frustration about the evening was not over yet, because after the match he immediately rushed to the departure room.
This meant that the Portuguese superstar, who is also the figurehead of football in Saudi Arabia, was not present at the medal ceremony.
Victory in the Saudi Super Cup would mark Ronaldo’s second trophy since arriving in the Gulf nation.
The 39-year-old player won the Arab Club Champions Cup last August when Al-Nassr defeated Al-Hilal 2-1 in extra time.
It was no surprise that Ronaldo was the hero that day, as he scored both goals for Al-Nassr in the final.
Ronaldo made a gesture that his teammates were asleep as they conceded their fourth goal