“This is the World Cup, this isn’t a circus” - When former Al-Nassr star slammed referee for Cristiano Ronaldo admiration
Former Al-Nassr winger Nordin Amrabat once criticized referee Mark Geiger for allegedly being enamored with Cristiano Ronaldo during a World Cup fixture between Morocco and Portugal in 2018.
Nordin Amrabat, the older brother of Manchester United's Sofyan Amrabat, plied his trade for Al-Nassr between 2018 and 2021, scoring 17 goals in 100 appearances across all competitions. He helped the Knights of Najd win three trophies, including the league title in the 2018-19 campaign.
However, just a few months prior, Amrabat represented Morocco in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they faced Portugal in a group-stage match on June 20. Despite dominating the game with more possession (55 percent) and shots (15 to 10), Portugal clinched a 1-0 win via Cristiano Ronaldo's fourth-minute header.
Amrabat was far from impressed with referee Mark Geiger for his exchange with Portugal defender Pepe. He stated (via MARCA):
"He was very impressed with Cristiano Ronaldo, I heard him ask Pepe at half-time if he could have Ronaldo's shirt. I don't know what he normally does but what are we talking about here? This is the World Cup, this isn't a circus."
The Morocco boss at the time, Herve Renard, was also unhappy with Geiger's performance, claiming Ronaldo's goal shouldn't have counted due to a foul by the Portugal ace:
"I am convinced that if things happened in the other area, another decision would have been made. Especially with the goal, we think that Ronaldo fouls [Khalid] Boutaib who was closest to him, and this cost us. I haven't seen it but Boutaib said that he pushed him so hard that he was unable to clear the ball."
Morocco's loss would prove to be costly as they finished at the bottom of Group B with one point. In contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal finished in second with five points but would lose their Round of 16 clash 2-1 against Uruguay.
Cristiano Ronaldo breaks Saudi Pro League record following Al-Nassr's 4-2 win against Al-Ittihad
Cristiano Ronaldo continued his excellent run of form as he netted a brilliant brace to help Al-Nassr secure a 4-2 win against Al-Ittihad at home (May 27). The 39-year-old broke Abderrazak Hamdallah's record of most goals scored in the Saudi Pro League in the process, finishing with 35 goals and 11 assists in 31 league appearances.
Despite several key players like Marcelo Brozovic and Otavio being rested, Al-Nassr started strong and took the lead on the cusp of half-time via Ronaldo's strike. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner then broke Hamdallah's record with an emphatic header in the 69th minute.
Abdulrahman Ghareeb made it 3-0 with a 79th-minute penalty before Al-Ittihad threatened to make a comeback late on through Al-Shamrani (88') and Fabinho (90+2').
Fortunately, Meshari Al-Nemer scored his second goal in as many games three minutes later to seal all three points in Al-Nassr's final league game of the season.