Cristiano Ronaldo loses temper at fan who claimed PSG superstar Lionel Messi is 'better' than him
Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo lost his temper at a fan who claimed that Lionel Messi was 'better' than him.
The Knights of Najd continued their winning run by defeating Al-Batin 3-1 in the Saudi Pro League on Friday but it was a frustrating outing for Ronaldo.
The Portuguese ace failed to get on the scoresheet and missed a host of chances in the game, heading most of the crosses above the crossbar.
Al-Nassr, who were trailing from the 17th minute, were headed towards a defeat but three late goals saw them pick up all three points.
Bro is pissed after 3-1 win 🤣🤣🤣🤣 never a team player https://t.co/vf4CTZFqnB
As Ronaldo headed down the tunnel after full-time, a fan confronted the star, saying, "Messi is so much better."
Clearly anguished by the claim, the 38-year-old fired back at him, saying (via Hindustan Times):
"And that was an easy game."
In the previous three games before this one, Ronaldo had struck two hat-tricks, including a four-goal salvo against Al-Wehda, while assisting both Al-Nassr's goals in their 2-1 win over Al-Taawoun.
He seemed to have hit his best with the side but went off the boil last weekend once again with a disappointing performance, one that nearly cost his team the victory.
Renzo Lopez's strike kept Al-Batin on course for a win, but Abdulrahman Ghareeb, Mohammed Al-Fatil and Mohammed Maran scored in stoppage time to turn the match around.
Ronaldo wasn't among the assists for any of those goals either, which perhaps might have drawn the ire of the fans.
He will be in action again on Thursday when Al-Nassr visit Al-Ittihad.
Ronaldo still only settling into a new league
Ronaldo might not have struck consistently for Al-Nassr - seven of the eight goals he's struck for them have come as part of his two hat-tricks - but he's still only settling into life in Saudi Arabia.
It's been just six weeks since the Portuguese made his debut for his new club, and he might need more time to fully integrate into the squad too.
Happy to win the February Player of the month award for the Roshn Saudi League. Hopefully the 1st of many! Proud to be part of this team @AlNassrFC 💙💛 https://t.co/YbvHyKiS9n
It's also worth remembering that he's 38 now, an age when a player's decline is expected. Ronaldo is no longer capable of bagging goals like he used to before.
Regardless, he's received unfair criticism from many quarters and that likely won't stop anytime soon.