Cristiano Ronaldo appears to rub Al Hilal scarf against crotch after Riyadh Season Cup defeat
Cristiano Ronaldo has caused outrage after appearing to rub an Al Hilal scarf against his crotch on Thursday night.
Ronaldo's Al Nassr took on Saudi Pro League leaders Al Hilal in the Riyadh Season Cup, which was presented by WWE legend The Undertaker before the game.
Al Hilal won 2-0 at the Kingdom Arena thanks to goals from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Salem Aldawsari.
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Ronaldo cut a frustrated figure and was booked in the second half for booting the ball away into the crowd.
He also had a typical response to being goaded about arch-rival Lionel Messi.
After the game, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner looked absolutely furious as a customary guard of honour took place for his teammates before they collected their runners up medals.
And another clip doing the rounds showed Ronaldo's apparent controversial reaction to an Al Hilal shirt being thrown at him.
— Out Of Context Football (@nocontextfooty) February 8, 2024
The 39-year-old was walking down the tunnel when the scarf fell from above.
It landed just in front of Ronaldo and footage appeared to show him picking it up, wiping it on his crotch and hurling it back into the stands.
A second alternative angle showed just how angry Ronaldo was.
— عزيز (@IlI5l) February 8, 2024
Back in April, following another 2-0 defeat to Al Hilal, Ronaldo responded to Messi chants by grabbing his crotch.
It led to Nouf bin Ahmed, a lawyer who works with the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, calling for him to be arrested and deported and claiming to have submitted a lawsuit.
Al Nassr were forced to issue a statement on the matter, stressing that Ronaldo's lewd gesture was because of an injury to his groin.
The club commented: "Ronaldo is suffering from an injury. A duel with Gustavo Cuellar (Al Hilal) started with Ronaldo being hit in a very sensitive area. This is confirmed information. The fans may think what they want."
Al Nassr's next game is in the AFC Champions League on Wednesday, when they take on Al Feiha.
Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League
Josh Lawless