Cristiano Ronaldo Taunted With 'Messi' Chants
Cristiano Ronaldo has not had the best start with his new Saudi Arabian club.
Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr at the end of December, but almost immediately reports emerged that he might be regretting his decision.
READ: WHY CRISTIANO RONALDO MAY BE REGRETTING HIS DECISION TO SIGN WITH A SAUDI-BACKED SOCCER CLUB
That can't have been helped on Thursday.
Al-Nassr played rivals Al-Ittihad in the semi-final of the Saudi Super Cup and were soundly defeated, 3-1.
While Ronaldo did score twice in a friendly against Paris Saint-Germain, he missed a golden opportunity in the first half against Al-Ittihad. The miss meant he still hasn't scored in an official, competitive match.
His manager, Rudi Garcia, even called him out on it. According to The Sun, Garcia said: "One of the things that changed the course of the match was Cristiano's missed opportunity in the first half."
To make matters worse, he appeared to be in some pain after sustaining an ankle injury during the match.
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA - JANUARY 26: Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr reacts during the Saudi Super Cup Semi-Final match between Al Ittihad and Al Nassr at King Fahd International Stadium on January 26, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
Ronaldo Taunted
The injury, the missed opportunities, the lack of scoring all pales in comparison to what the opposing fans did to him after the loss.
Video was posted after the match of Al-Ittiad fans chanting "Messi, Messi, Messi" at him.
That's about as brutal as it gets for Ronaldo, considering his infamous rivalry with the Argentinian star.
Messi just won the World Cup with Argentina and still plays at a high level for a top European club.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, saw his Portuguese team lose to Morocco in the quarter finals of the 2022 World Cup. Then took a massive cash grab to play in Saudi Arabia after a dismal stint at Manchester United.
Taunting him with "Messi" chants is brutal, and brilliant. And generally fairly deserved.
Few things in the sporting world are as entertaining as an unhappy Cristiano Ronaldo. And given his start in Saudi Arabia, there could be plenty more of that to come in the future.