aFollowing the uproar caused by Cristiano Ronaldo’s protest over his absence from Al Nasr’s match against Al Riyadh, speculation quickly grew that the Portuguese star and the team would part ways.
Rumors about the next step in his career quickly surfaced, but it was CR7’s rivals’ gesture, which combined humor, pranks and a little provocation, that caught the attention of football fans.
Rivals ridicule Cristiano
CR7’s anger erupted after Karim Benzema moved from Al Ittihad to Al Hilal. According to the website, the Portuguese player does not agree with the recruitment policy of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), as it appears to disadvantage his team and favor other teams.
As a result, he decided to protest by not appearing at Al Nasr’s matches. This did not go unnoticed by fans of Ronaldo’s rival team, who did not miss the opportunity to ridicule Ronaldo.
Outside the stadium, on the streets of Riyadh, fans of Al Hilal (Benzema’s new team) launched a “missing” campaign by holding up a photo of a crying Ronaldo wearing an Al Nasr shirt, according to MundoDeportivo.
These posters were put up in various locations around the city and featured an image of the CR7 with the following text written in Arabic:
Oh, people of good will! I present to you a missing man in his 40s who suffers from excessive crying. His family and friends are looking for him. Anyone who finds him is asked to call 7777-222-43-41.
The mockery sparked a reaction on social media, with other fans joining in the comments.
“Haha, posters with Ronaldo ‘missing’ on the streets of Riyadh? Rivals trolling at its best (short and fun reply vibe to match the troll football energy),” said one person. “It’s Benzema’s fault that Ronaldo ran,” added another. “Ronaldo is known for running away when the going gets tough,” a third follower wrote.
Meanwhile, other fans came to his defense, with responses such as: “He’s training at home,” “He’s missing? No, he’s just protesting PIF patronage again,” and “Cristiano Ronaldo is the real GOAT.”
However, it is unclear whether the club will decide to sanction the Portuguese player, as the reason for his absence from the game against Al Riyadh was a personal protest rather than an injury or technical decision.
Despite this, CR7 remains the team’s top scorer with 17 goals this season, but it remains to be seen whether he will return for the important match against Al Ittihad scheduled for February 6th.
