4 minutes before the official match time of the Al Nassr vs Al Hilal match in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup ended, with the home team leading 2-0, Cristiano Ronaldo received a red card and immediately left the field – 12th red card in career. He was disqualified for unsportsmanlike action: Intentionally hitting Al Hilal midfielder Ali Al Bulaihi with his elbow. It was a knock-out of the opponent broadcast live.
It happened in a situation of competing for a throw-in. Ronaldo ran to hug the ball, intending to make a quick throw-in. But player Ali Al Bulaihi tried to find a way to get the ball back, because he thought the right to throw in belonged to his team. So the Portuguese superstar got angry and became a hooligan. He rolled his eyes and elbowed his colleague in the chest, causing him to immediately lie on the ground.
Ronaldo’s anger did not stop there. After being shown a red card by referee Mohammed Al Hoaish, Ronaldo became even more mad. Complaining unsuccessfully, he raised his fist towards the person who “held the balance”, intending to turn around and decide whether or not he had enough with Mr. Hoaish. Teammates promptly intervened and CR7 then angrily left the field.
The camera also captured Ronaldo saying something on the way to the locker room. According to speech analysis experts, the owner of 5 Golden Ball titles called referee Hoaish “Bastard!”. Afterwards, the Portuguese player also clapped his hands sarcastically to show his sarcasm towards the referee.
At the age of nearly forty, a man should be more mature and mature. But Ronaldo, on the contrary, always shows an ugly image on the field. He doesn’t seem to understand that anger is an instinct, but controlling yourself is bravery. This is not the first time in his career that Ronaldo has behaved grumpy and unsportsmanlike.
In the match against Al Ettifaq last August in the quarterfinals of the King Cup, Ronaldo also pointed at and shouted at the referee, because he thought he should have shown a yellow card to the opponent’s player. Because of this uncontrolled behavior, CR7 was given a yellow card warning.
Before that, exactly on October 24, 2021, when he was still playing for MU, Ronaldo had launched a “continuous kick” at Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones, on the day his team suffered a disastrous defeat. 0-5. In April 2022, after the Red Devils’ loss to Everton in round 32 of the Premier League, Ronaldo angrily hit a young fan’s hand, causing the boy’s phone to fall to the ground. That was CR7’s reaction worthy of criticism when a young fan approached and asked to take a photo with him.
Even in the national team, Ronaldo also made fans angry. He once took off the captain’s armband of the Portuguese team and threw it away mercilessly, after Europe’s Selecao lost to Spain in the UEFA Nations League in September 2022.
It is no coincidence that MU decided to take down the “monument” of Ronaldo at the end of 2022. The Old Trafford team canceled the contract with the owner of 5 Golden Ball titles, accepting the loss of money, because they believed that he is a “cancer” for the team and risks creating turmoil in the home team’s locker room. It all stemmed from his appearance in the media, telling everything bad about MU’s internal affairs and criticizing Ronaldo’s coach and teammates.
There is no denying Ronaldo’s talent on the field. But the Portuguese player has never consciously learned how to control himself. He often does condemnable actions whenever he feels psychologically inhibited. This is unacceptable for a sports figure idolized by young people. In this regard, Ronaldo lost to his rival Lionel Messi – who always knows how to best maintain his public image.
Back to the match in the semi-finals of the Saudi Super Cup. Ronaldo’s team had to lose 1-2, thereby missing the final match. A blank season is looming for the Portuguese superstar and his teammates, when ahead they only have the King Cup front to aim for the championship.
