WATCH: Neymar laughs as crowd mock Cristiano Ronaldo by chanting Lionel Messi's name during Al Hilal vs Al Nassr
Neymar and his friends were seen laughing after the crowd began chanting Lionel Messi's name to supposedly mock Cristiano Ronaldo during Al-Hilal's win against Al-Nassr in the King's Cup final on Friday night (May 31). A video circulating on social media features Neymar with his friends reacting to a section of the crowd chanting Messi's name.
The Brazilian appeared to be recording the same on his phone while laughing. You can watch the video here:
Neymar left Paris St-Germain to join Saudi Pro League giants Al-Hilal in August 2023 but has been out injured since October 2023 when he suffered an ACL tear while representing Brazil.
On Friday, Al-Hilal faced Al-Nassr in the King's Cup final while the Brazilian forward joined from the stands to support his team. After a 1-1 draw, Al-Hilal defeated Cristiano Ronaldo's team 5-4 on penalties.
It marked a disappointing end to the season for Ronaldo, who ended his second consecutive year in the Saudi league without winning any major trophy despite breaking individual records. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner recently became the first player to be the top scorer in four different countries.
When Neymar credited Cristiano Ronaldo for bringing in more players in the Saudi Pro League
Shortly after his transfer to Saudi giants Al-Hilal in August 2023, Neymar credited Cristiano Ronaldo for popularizing the growing Saudi Pro League and encouraging players from Europe to join there.
Speaking on Al-Hilal's official channels (quoted via Reuters), he said everyone called Ronaldo 'crazy' when he joined Al-Nassr but the Saudi league has only grown since then.
"I believe Cristiano Ronaldo started all of this and everybody called him 'crazy', and this and that. Today you see the league grow more and more. It is exciting, meeting top-quality players on the other teams thrills you and motivates you to play even better," the Brazilian said ( via Reuters).
The forward is also optimistic about a lot of people in Brazil watching the league to support Al-Hilal. Apart from Cristiano, the former PSG star credited players like Karim Benzema and Roberto Firmino for popularizing the league.
"And it is a given when you face Ronaldo, Benzema, Firmino, that the excitement is even greater. So I am happy to join this league, facing them will be wonderful, it will be fantastic. Of course, a lot of Brazil will be watching the league. Obviously, I will be there and I expect all Brazilians and everybody following the league to support Al Hilal," Neymar said.
It is unknown when Neymar will return to action following his ACL injury. He had also been left out of Brazil's squad for the upcoming Copa America. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo will gear up to represent Portugal at the 2024 Euros.