Cristiano Ronaldo is supposed to be an ambassador for a modern and international Saudi Arabia and is not paid a reported annual salary of around £180m to produce articles that include words such as “crotch” or “genitals”.
Yet it is remarkable how easy it seems to be to annoy this five-time Ballon D’Or winner. All you have to do is chant “Messi, Messi”. Incredibly for a player who has played for the biggest clubs in the biggest games and won almost everything, it looks as if it gets under his skin. Ronaldo’s will to win, desire for the highest standards and work rate has been exemplary in Saudi Arabia so far and he is top scorer of the league and joint top in terms of assists. The competitive streak is deep but seems to be so wide that it is sensitive to suggestions that his main competitor exists.
Last April, he grabbed his crotch as left the field after his Al-Nassr side lost to bitter Riyadh rivals Al-Hilal. It looked to be a reaction to gleeful opposition supporters shouting the name of his personal rival from Argentina though this was denied by his club who said that it was actually a reaction to a groin injury that he had picked up during the game. “This is confirmed information. As for the fans’ explanations, they are free to think whatever they want,” said a club statement.
There were those who thought that it was out of order back then but Ronaldo got away with it. Earlier in February, there was another incident in the Riyadh Season Cup, a glorified friendly, with the same opposition. The same chants and this time, there was no doubting that it annoyed the 39-year-old. At half-time as he left the pitch, someone threw what looked to be a Hilal scarf at his feet and Ronaldo put it in his shorts and then hurled it away.
And then there was Sunday. It was another Riyadh Derby, this time against Al-Shabab, the third of the big clubs from the capital. Sunday’s clash was as hard-fought as they come, an entertaining back and forth affair with the likes of Ivan Rakitic and Yannick Carrasco on one side and Sadio Mané, Marcelo Brozovic and Ronaldo on the other. Twice Al-Nassr had seen their lead cancelled out in a game that they had to win to keep the pressure on leaders Hilal and so when Anderson Talisca made it 3-2 with three minutes left there were major celebrations from the team in yellow.
It was a fine advert for the Saudi Pro League or at least it was until Ronaldo, after being on the receiving end of Messi chants, then seemed to put one hand to his ear and the other towards what has been described as “his pelvic area” and then, facing the home fans, moved it back and forth. According to reports, he did something similar as the full-time whistle confirmed the victory and put Al-Nassr four points behind the leaders with 10 games to go.
Third time is the opposite of the charm as there has been widespread criticism and demands for punishment. Waleed al-Farraj, a well-known Saudi writer said on social media: “The disciplinary committee is facing the biggest test. We will wait and see. Everything has its limits, no matter how famous you are. This is how the major leagues are.” The Saudi Arabian Football Federation is investigating and Ayman al-Rifai, former head of the disciplinary committee, fully expects punishment. This is likely to be a suspension for a number of games, probably two, and a fine. This as the title race between Nassr and Hilal approaches its climax. While the incident could have a major impact on the title race it is also a big deal for the country.
There has been an influx of star players such as Karim Benzema and Neymar into Saudi Arabia but Ronaldo was the first, signing for Al-Nassr in December 2022, and the biggest. The club is state-owned and the player is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a project which aims to build, among other things, a sports industry to help diversify an economy that has traditionally relied on oil.
He is not just a player then but an ambassador – as ironically is Messi – and has so far been a successful one. Ronaldo is the most popular figure on the whole of Instagram who regularly posts about the country on and off the pitch. At the Riyadh derby in December, the hotel I was staying at near the King Fahd International Stadium was full of people from around the world who had arrived in the capital just to see him in action.
These are the first really negative headlines and it will be fascinating to see what happens and how those who pay his sky-high wages react. Despite changes in society over the years, it goes without saying that Saudi Arabia is a conservative country. This incident may be seen as an opportunity to show even the biggest football stars that they are not exempt from following cultural norms and practices. The world is watching with countless headlines already made.
