"Guess who is sitting on the bench right now?" - Fans react as Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo gets substituted against Abha in King's Cup Q/F
Fans have reacted to Al-Nassr forward Cristiano Ronaldo getting substituted during their 3-1 win over Abha in the King Cup of Champions quarter-finals on March 14.
The Portuguese ace came into the match on the back of two goalless outings. He failed to break the duck on the night and drew another blank before being taken off in the 87th minute.
He didn't bag an assist for any of Al-Nassr's three goals on the night either. The veteran even went into the books in the added time of the first half, capping off another frustrating evening.
Manager Rudi Garcia took him off in the dying embers of the match with the Knights of Najd on their way to the semi-finals of the cup. Fans took to Twitter to mock the former Manchester United for the same.
While many were in disbelief, one user sarcastically asked who is "sitting on the bench now," while another claimed that he was "back where he belongs."
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner left Manchester United last November after the mutual termination of his contract. He was unhappy with his bench role under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford and felt he was disrespected.
The 38-year-old also started from the bench for both of Portugal's knockout stage matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Now with history repeating itself at Al-Nassr, his naysayers cannot hide their schadenfreude. Here are some of the best Twitter reactions to Ronaldo's substitution:
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Guess who's sitting on the bench right now? 🐐🤩 https://t.co/TjOV03KK7d
Ronaldo being subbed off in the 86th minute in the cup quarter final without scoring or assisting. Damn
Ronaldo hooked 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
THEY SUBBED RONALDO OFF? 😭
@AlNassrFC_EN Penaldo is the problem of this team 😭
Ronaldo back where he belongs🥹🥰 https://t.co/PMZgSXRbfd
Ronaldo blanking, booked and hooked off before full time against “Ahba” https://t.co/KItfuCFVso
Ronaldo blanked, got a yellow and got subbed off. Day made.
Ronaldo struggling for consistency with Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo's sensational move to Al-Nassr hasn't gone according to plan so far. Sure, he boasts eight goals in eight games, but seven of those have come as part of his two hat-tricks, including a four-goal salvo against Al-Wehda.
Overall, the Portuguese has been poor, struggling to produce his best on a consistent basis, but given he's 38 years old, this is to be expected.
Ronaldo is getting the minutes he was looking for after leaving Manchester United. However, that hasn't necessarily translated into a ruthless goalscoring streak like the ones he produced earlier on in his career.
However, his hat tricks have shown that the former Real Madrid man can be a menace on his day. Al-Nassr will hope to see more of that from him going forward as they contend for the league title.