In more ways than one, Cristiano Ronaldo saw red.
As his Al-Nassr side saw their hopes of winning the Saudi Arabian Super Cup slip away late in the second half of Monday's semi-final clash with Al-Hilal, Ronaldo lashed out and furiously elbowed an opponent in the chest at a throw-in. As opposition centre-back Ali Al-Bulayhi went crashing to the floor, the already booked Portuguese megastar was shown a straight red card and sent for an early bath.
Footage of the incident also appeared to show Ronaldo threatening to punch the ball at the referee who'd just dismissed him. The Al-Nassr forward - whose side lost 2-1 after scoring a added-time consolation goal through Sadio Mane - stopped short of doing so, instead deciding to walk away while sarcastically clapping the decision and gesturing to the crowd in a final vent of frustration.
That was the 12th red card of Ronaldo's career, with his first coming 20 years ago for Manchester United against Aston Villa. Two decades later and the 39-year-old finds himself deep into his Saudi adventure, a 15-month spell which has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride.
Having completed his acrimonious departure from United in November 2022, Ronaldo soon secured a controversial move to Al-Nassr the. While he hit the ground running with a gluttony of goals, including two in a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain as part of a Riyadh-based XI, the Saudi Pro League title which Ronaldo had ambitions of winning slipped away, with Al-Nassr even sacking boss Rudi Garcia in April.
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Reports claimed that the French coach's relationship with Ronaldo had deteriorated, so in came Luis Castro, an experienced manager and a fellow Portuguese.
The changing of the guard at Al-Nassr coincided with Ronaldo having a new boss at international level, with Roberto Martinez heaping praise on the veteran striker and making it clear that he'd be leading the line for Portugal so long as he kept banging in the goals - which he did during Euro 2024 qualifying with 10 strikes.
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Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for elbowing an Al-Hilal player on Monday (X)Meanwhile last summer, Saudi chiefs stretched their financial muscles and brought in a host of big-name stars such as Karim Benzema, Neymar, Mane, Aymeric Laporte and plenty more who were willing to wave goodbye to Europe.
Suddenly, Ronaldo didn't look so alone out in the Middle East and his claim that the Saudi Pro League has the capacity to become a "top-five league in the world" wasn't sounding quite as outlandish. The Portugal captain also confirmed that he plans to see out his Al-Nassr contract until 2025, quashing tentative speculation that he wanted to return to Europe.
When the new season got underway, Ronaldo kept up his scoring form and eventually finished 2023 with a tally of 54 goals for club and country, making him the top goalscorer in the world over the calendar year. August saw him with his first trophy for Al-Nassr, beating Al-Hilal in the final of the Arab Club Champions Cup.
But that's their only victory over the formidable Al-Hilal this season, as in December, Castro's side were beaten 3-0 away from home and Ronaldo was subject to chants referencing his long-time rival, Lionel Messi. When the game was goalless at half-time, Ronaldo reacted by blowing kisses at the Al-Hilal fans, smiling as he made his way down the tunnel.
Portuguese duo Luis Castro and Cristiano Ronaldo share a good relationship (AFP via Getty Images)That reaction was amicable, certainly more so than what came in February. During a 3-2 win away to Al-Shabab, Ronaldo was subject to more Messi-related chants and taunts, prompting a lewd response.
After scoring, the Real Madrid icon pumped his hand forward in front of his pelvic area in a gesture which was deemed by Saudi football authorities to have caused 'public excitement by gesture'. Ronaldo was subsequently banned for one game and fined 30,000 Saudi Riyals (£6,300).
Having served his ban, Ronaldo told a press conference: "I will always respect the cultures of all countries, as I have respected to this day, but not always what people see is reality. As I said and I will say again, it is obvious that I will not do it again in this country, but in Europe, it is very normal. Sometimes the passion and excitement of the game leads us to make some mistakes."
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A domestic suspension was hardly a major blow for Ronaldo given Al-Hilal's increasing lead at the top of the table, and Al-Nassr had already come to terms with the fact the Asian Champions League was their priority. Drawn against Al-Ain of the United Arab Emirates in the quarter-finals, a 1-0 away defeat in the first leg meant that Al-Nassr would have to come from behind and do it without star centre-back Laporte, who'd been sent off in added time.
Cristiano Ronaldo won his first trophy with Al-Nassr in August, the Arab Club Champions Cup, and finished top scorer (AFP via Getty Images)
In February, he responded to rival fans chanting Lionel Messi's name with a lewd gesture (Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)A shock 3-1 loss at home to Al-Raed on the weekend further dented confidence and in the second leg, Al-Ain were remarkably 3-0 up on aggregate approaching half-time. Cue an impressive comeback to make it 3-3 heading into extra-time and when the visitors retook the lead, Ronaldo stepped up to slam home a penalty in the 118th minute.
That set up a shootout but misses from summer signings Marcelo Brozovic and Otavio sent Al-Nassr crashing out and relying on domestic success for the remainder of the season.
As things stand, Ronaldo boasts a superb 29 goals in 25 league games for Al-Nassr, having also racked up 10 assists and reached the 65 mark for career hat-tricks. Once again he won't be lifting the league title, though, unless Al-Hilal somehow manage to surrender their 12-point lead in the final seven games of the season.
Ronaldo and co's only realistic chance of silverware is the King's Cup, with a semi-final tie against Al-Khaleej booked for next month. Al-Nassr would play - you guessed it - Al-Hilal or Benzema's Al-Ittihad in the final.
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