Al-Hilal captain recreates iconic Lionel Messi moment after Cristiano Ronaldo walks away without collecting medal in Saudi Super Cup final loss
Al-Hilal captain Salem Aldawsari recreated Lionel Messi's iconic World Cup celebration after defeating Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr on a 4-1 scoreline in the Saudi Super Cup final on Saturday (August 17). The Portuguese talisman was spotted being visibly frustrated at the loss and stormed out of the tunnel without receiving his customary runners-up medal.
Fans might recall Leo Messi's iconic walk towards his teammates with the World Cup trophy after winning the 2022 edition with Argentina. In a viral clip from the Saudi Super Cup clash, Aldawsari recreated the same walk, where he walked one step at a time with pauses in between to his teammates and held up the Saudi Super Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the only goal for Al-Nassr against Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup clash. A minute ahead of the half time, the Portuguese forward took advantage of an assist by Abdulrahman Ghareeb to find the net in the 44th minute, giving this team a 1-0 lead.
However, their hopes crashed in the second half when the Knights of Najd conceded four goals within 17 minutes, turning the score to 4-1. Clips of Cristiano Ronaldo being frustrated with his teammates and making various hand gestures to criticize them also went viral online. The Portugal international was also seen storming down the tunnel without collecting his medal.
Fans chanted Lionel Messi's name as Al-Hilal defeated Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr 4-1 in the Saudi Super Cup clash
Clips of Al-Hilal fans chanting Lionel Messi's name in the stadium as Cristiano Ronaldo faced a crushing 4-1 defeat to the club in the Saudi Super Cup final went viral on social media on Saturday.
Several fans reportedly also bought banners and posters of Messi to supposedly mock Ronaldo on the pitch. The Portuguese talisman looked visibly frustrated at his teammates.
In another popular clip, Ronaldo was spotted doing hand gestures at his Al-Nassr teammates, supposedly asking if they were sleeping when the club conceded four goals.
This is not the first time fans have chanted Lionel Messi's name in Al-Hilal vs Al-Nassr clashes. The two Saudi Pro League giants have faced each other multiple times in the last season and fans have turned up with Messi's posters and banners multiple times to allegedly take a dig at Cristiano Ronaldo.
In May 2024, Al-Nassr lost 5-4 on penalties to Al-Hilal in the King's Cup final. A similar incident of fans filling the stadium with Lionel Messi chants reportedly took place during the game.
Lionel Messi's former teammate and friend Neymar Jr. was also spotted in the stands, supporting his current club Al-Hilal despite being out for an ACL injury. The Brazilian seemed to be recording while the fans chanted Messi's name to apparently mock Ronaldo.