Cristiano Ronaldo walked off the field with the gleeful chants of “Messi, Messi, Messi!” ringing in his ears from delighted Al Hilal fans who had just watched their Saudi Pro League team beat the Portugal superstar’s Al Nassr 3-0 in the Riyadh derby on Friday.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner may have finished on the losing team — Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice after fellow Serbian Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened for Al Hilal — but Ronaldo still remains the focus of attention in Saudi Arabian soccer.
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When the 38-year-old warmed up, there were cheers from the several thousand away fans, many of whom had No. 7 on their backs, and jeers from the masses of home supporters.
In the previous 14 games of the league season, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward had netted 15 goals to top the scoring charts and help Al Nassr — who also feature former Liverpool star Sadio Mané, Croatia midfielder Marcelo Brozovic and ex-Manchester United defender Alex Telles — move into second in the league behind Al Hilal.
