It was another 90 minutes of frustration for Cristiano Ronaldo as Al-Nassr again dropped points in the title race - and one opposition staff member bore the brunt of it.
His side were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Kaleej in the Saudi Pro League, leaving them two points off leaders Al-Ittihad. But the gap is set to rise to five with just four games left, after the league leaders stormed into a 3-0 half time lead in their own clash with Abha.
To compound Ronaldo's misery, the Portuguese icon failed to get on the scoresheet, and is now facing the prospect of ending his first season in Saudi Arabia empty handed. And he wasn't about to lighten his mood when he was approached as he stormed towards the tunnel at full time.
In a bizarre moment, the 38-year-old was asked if he would pose for a selfie with the Al-Kaleej employee, who appeared more focussed on 'CR7' than he was on celebrating the win. Fair to say the timing of the request was dubious, with Ronaldo brushing off the man and refusing to stop.
It's another heated moment in what is becoming a volatile campaign for Ronaldo, who signed an eye-watering £172 million a year deal to play in the country after leaving Manchester United in acrimonious circumstances. Indeed, speculation is rife that international football's record goalscorer is already planning his exit, despite being contracted until the end of 2025.
Last month, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was accused of petulance after he reacted furiously to being denied his penalty in a 4-0 win over Al-Raed. He reacted by throwing his arms up in frustration and lambasting the referee, showing further discontent after VAR check failed to get the decision overturned.
The striker has been touted to move back to Real Madrid, where he previously won four Champions League titles in a nine year period. But President Florentino Perez has moved to dismiss speculation, citing the age of the club icon.
But in another twist, if Ronaldo stays in Saudi he could be looking horn again with his rival Lionel Messi. The Argentine World Cup winner is reportedly negotiating a transfer to Al-Hilal, after falling foul of PSG bosses for travelling to Saudi without permission last week.
Ronaldo, who has scored 12 times for his current club since his lucrative move, will be back in action on Tuesday against Al-Ta'ee. Any slips ups would all but end his side's tilt at the title, leaving Ronaldo without a trophy since winning the Coppa Italia with Juventus in the 2020-21 campaign.
