During a game in Saudi Arabia, Cristiano Ronaldo displayed his irritation as fans chanted Lionel Messi's name, following Messi's eighth Ballon d'Or win.
Messi secured his eighth Ballon d'Or award at an awards ceremony in Paris, defeating competitors Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe. In contrast, Ronaldo, who has five Ballon d'Or awards to his name, was conspicuously absent, marking the first time he hadn't made the shortlist since 2003.
Nonetheless, Ronaldo's fans couldn't resist taunting him with Messi's triumph on social media. Ronaldo playfully responded by using laughing emojis on an Instagram post that questioned Messi's win.
Ronaldo's reaction came back to haunt him when he stepped onto the field for Al-Nassr in their match against Al-Ettifaq, managed by Steven Gerrard. While Ronaldo's side emerged victorious with a 1-0 win in the King Cup of Champions fixture, he endured taunts from Al-Ettifaq supporters who chanted "Messi! Messi!"
This spectacle was captured on camera, where Ronaldo initially grinned and then gestured for the fans to quiet down, silencing them with a finger to his lips, which was followed by a request to tone it down. The home fans responded by applauding their star player.
It's evident that Ronaldo might not be too pleased with Messi's record-extending eighth Ballon d'Or win, which puts the 36-year-old Argentine three Ballon d'Or awards ahead of Ronaldo as the Portuguese star's career approaches its twilight years.
In a 2019 interview while playing for Juventus, Ronaldo emphasized the importance of the Ballon d'Or and expressed his desire for more such accolades, stating, "I would love [more], and I think I deserve it... Messi is a fantastic guy, a fantastic player. He's in the history of football – but I think I have to have six or seven or eight to be above him. My relationship with him is, we are not friends, but we have shared this stage for 15 years. I have a good relationship with him, and I know that he has pushed me to be a better player, and I have pushed him to be a better player as well." Photo by Kjetil r, Wikimedia commons.