Cristiano Ronaldo: Al Nassr captain bites back at Al Hilal fans' 'Messi' taunts

Al Nassr captain endured a frustrating night in 2-0 friendly loss to arch rivals

Cristiano Ronaldo cuts a frustrated figure as Al Nassr lost to Al Hilal in Riyadh. Getty

Al Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo lost his cool during a friendly in Riyadh on Thursday as Al Hilal fans chanted the name of his arch rival Lionel Messi.

Ronaldo, 39, endured a frustrating night as goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Salem Al Dawsari settled the tie in Hilal's favour at a packed Kingdom Arena.

Hilal fans peppered Ronaldo with chants of "Messi, Messi, Messi" towards the end of the game, provoking the Portuguese star to cup his hand to his ear and then encourage them to keep singing.

Ronaldo was seen gesturing to another set of Hilal supporters, indicating that he was the one plying his trade in the Saudi Pro League and not Messi. Hilal had hoped to sign Messi last summer before the Argentina World Cup winner opted instead for a lucrative move to the MLS with Inter Miami.

At half time, an angry Ronaldo was also captured on video using an Al Hilal scarf thrown at him from the stands as a towel as he made his way back to the changing room.

This is not the first time that Al Hilal fans have goaded Ronaldo during a match. The former Manchester united and Real Madrid striker was the subject of more Messi taunts during a match last April when a 2-0 defeat effectively ended Al Nassr's title hopes.

Hilal top this season's Pro League by seven points over Nassr. Ronaldo is the league's top scorer at present with 20 goals.

Ronaldo missed out on a potential last duel with Messi earlier this month as he watched from the stands as Al Nassr thrashed Inter Miami 6-0 in a high-profile friendly in Riyadh.

Al Nassr striker Cristiano Ronaldo is introduced to fans before the Riyadh Season Cup match against Inter Miami at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. AFP

A football fan poses for a "selfie" picture with a flag depicting Al Nassr's Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo. AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo waves to spectators. The Al Nassr captain was ruled out of the match against Inter Miami through injury. AFP

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo of Al Nassr displayed on the main screen at Kingdom Arena. The two were denied a potential last-ever meeting on the pitch due to Ronaldo's injury. AFP

Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo in the stands before the match. Reuters

Fans sporting the jersey's Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo and Inter Miami's Lionel Messi. Getty

Inter Miami's Argentine coach Gerardo Martino gives last-minute instructions to Lionel Messi before his introduction as a late substitute. Al Nassr won the match 6-0. AFP

Lionel Messi of Inter Miami in action with Mohammed Qasem of Al Nassr. EPA

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi embraces Al Nassr defender Mohammed Al Fatil at the final whistle. AFP

Anderson Talisca of Al Nassr controls the ball. Getty

Al Nassr's Anderson Talisca scores their fourth goal from the penalty spot. Reuters

Anderson Talisca of Al-Nassr celebrates scoring his team's sixth goal to complete his hat-trick. Getty

Al Nassr's Portuguese midfielder Otavio vies for the ball against Inter Miami's Brazilian midfielder Gregore. AFP

Players intervene in an argument between Inter Miami's Spanish defender Jordi Alba and Al Nassr's Portuguese midfielder Otavio. AFP

Otavio of Al Nassr in action against Jordi Alba and Noah Allen of Inter Miami. EPA

Aymeric Laporte of Al Nassr celebrates scoring his team's third goal, a superb free kick from inside his own half. AFP

The debate over who is the greatest of all time clearly shows no sign of abating. Ronaldo is the most prolific striker in the history of football with over 740 goals during his club career and an astonishing 128 international goals.

He has won league titles in England, Spain and Italy and has collected five Champions League medals among a glut of other winner's medals. He also won the European Championship with Portugal in 2016.

Messi, on the other hand, is an eight-time Ballon d'Or winner (Ronaldo has five) and boasts 35 titles from his time at Barcelona, including 10 La Ligas, seven Copa del Reys and four Champions League trophies.

Messi, 36, made a record 782 appearances for the club and scored 674 goals before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in August 2021.

His crowning glory, however, came in December 2022 when he guided Argentina to a third World Cup crown, a title that has eluded Ronaldo thus far.

The Saudi Pro League is on hiatus during the ongoing Asian Cup in Qatar, meaning Ronaldo's next match will be Al Nassr's last-16 Asian Champions League first-leg match against fellow Saudi club Al Feiha on Wednesday.