“Who else?”, “Mancini has already paid the price” - Fans snub Cristiano Ronaldo despite his goal as they name man of the match in Al-Nassr win
Fans have snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored the first goal, as their man of the match in Al-Nassr's 2-1 win over Al-Fateh in the Saudi Pro League on Saturday, February 17.
The legendary striker scored in his second game of 2024, making it two goals in two games with his latest strike against Al-Fateh. He was at the right place at the right time to open the scoring in the 17th minute. Ronaldo's goal came from a perfectly placed cross from Sultan Al Ghanam, which the forward struck first time.
However, Al-Fateh tied the game with a goal from Salem Al Najdi, as Al-Nassr struggled with defensive challenges. But, in the second half (72'), Otavio scored the winning goal for the Knights of Najd with a diving header, thanks to yet another brilliant cross from Sultan Al Ghanam.
Al Ghanam has showcased consistent performances over the past few months, racking up seven assists in 16 Saudi Pro League games. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo's contributions, it is no surprise that several fans on X (formerly Twitter) chose the right-back as their man of the match. One fan asked:
“Who else?”
Another said:
“Sultan! Mancini has already paid the price for his abandonment of Sultan.”
Here is a selection of their posts:
Can Cristiano Ronaldo score 1,000 career goals?
Cristiano Ronaldo is not too far away from 1,000 goals in his career. In 2023, the Portuguese legend was the top scorer worldwide, netting 54 goals for both his club and country. Including the goal he scored against Al-Fateh on Saturday, he has now racked up 747 goals in over 1,000 club matches and 128 goals in 205 games for Portugal (via GOAL).
He celebrated his recent goal in the AFC Champions League against Al-Feiha on social media with the caption "Who’s counting?"
Despite his age, Ronaldo has no plans to retire soon. He hinted as much when he told reporters last year (via GOAL):
“Things have happened in my life, both on a personal and professional level, that make me think more in the short term nowadays. People say I’m going to play on until I’m 40 or 41 years old. I don’t set these targets. It’s a question of just enjoying the moment, which is a good moment."
He went on to add:
"I feel good. My body is responding to how I’ve treated it over the years. I’m happy both at my club and in the Selecao. I’ve scored plenty of goals, I feel in good shape physically. It’s a question of enjoying the moment.”
Cristiano Ronaldo will hope he can lead Portugal at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. But before that, he has the chance to win another trophy at the 2024 Euros.