Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the biggest and best players in the world. He has dominated the sport for 25+ years and continues to perform at the highest levels even at the age of 38. He is aging like fine wine and seems to get better and better as he gets older.
Recently, Cristiano Ronaldo’s gesture during Al Nassr’s match against Persepolis, an Iranian team, in the AFC Champions League captured hearts. In the second minute of the match, Persepolis defender Soroush Rafiei challenged the star striker, who went down. After receiving a penalty kick, he immediately waved his finger and approached the referee to try to get the call reversed.
🚨Pedro Proença (President og Portuguese league):
Ronaldo gesture?
“The biggest ones don’t see themselves only in goals scored or in stunning plays. The biggest among the greatest are distinguished in gestures that enthn football.” pic.twitter.com/WPoL39O8cn
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) November 28, 2023
This gesture was praised by millions of people and fans around the world. Pedro Proença (president of the Portuguese League) came forward to put forth his opinion on Ronaldo’s gesture, he said, “The biggest ones don’t see themselves only in goals scored or in stunning plays. The biggest among the greatest are distinguished in gestures that enter football.”
Ma Ning, the Chinese referee, and Ronaldo spoke momentarily. He was heard stating “no pen” (no penalty), as he was observed telling the referee that it wasn’t a spot-kick. The VAR check came next, and in the end, the ruling was reversed. Many of his opponents approached him to applaud his move, demonstrating how much they appreciated his generosity.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr FC are 20 games unbeaten
Cristiano Ronaldo and his team Al Nassr played out a 0-0 draw against the Iranian side Persepolis in the AFC Champions League. However, they finished 1st in the group and qualified for the next rounds in the competition. Ronaldo bagged 3 goals and an assist in 4 matches.
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Not only that, The Riyadh-based team has been unbeaten for 20 games in a row currently, across all competitions. Ronaldo has made 19 appearances this season in all competitions, contributing nine assists and 18 goals. In the Saudi Pro League, Al-Nassr is four points behind Al-Hilal at the top of the table. They play the formidable Saudi team Al-Hilal in the league on Friday, December 1.
Happy that we qualified 1st in our group and to have achieved 20 games unbeaten.
Great Teamwork💪🏼@AlNassrFC_EN 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/bnNpEGodVq— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) November 27, 2023
The former Manchester United striker appeared to have a neck ailment, as he was substituted by Mohammed Maran in the 78th minute. After the game, Castro, Al-Nassr’s coach, discussed the severity of the 38-year-old’s injury (via Al-Nassr news): “Ronaldo? It’s not looking good. The medical staff is currently assessing the extent of the injury but hopefully, he will be ready next week.”
It remains to be seen how and when Ronaldo returns to the team as he is one of their crucial players for the season. Al-Nassr fans will be hoping he is not out for a long time Orelse may face a tough season ahead. For Al-Nassr to achieve any success this season Ronaldo has to be playing in the team regularly.