Cristiano Ronaldo, a striker who used to play for Manchester United, was sent off in Al Nassr’s loss to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final.
On Monday night, Al Nassr was down two goals before Ronaldo lost it with just over five minutes left in the game.
They got into a fight on the half-way line, with the ball out of play and Al-Hilal defender Al Bulayhi in the other team.
When Ronaldo had the ball, Al Bulayhi was trying to change the call and get it back, or he was just trying to kill time until his team could get back in shape.
The Portuguese forward didn’t like it and hit the defender in the chest with a hard elbow, getting him a straight red card.
At that point, Ronaldo lost it and looked like he was going to punch the ball at the judge, who was right to tell him to leave. He did manage to stay out of the water, which would have been very hot, but he still wouldn’t leave the pitch.
¡Cristiano Ronaldo es expulsado! Y CR7 no oculta todo su enfado con el árbitro. #SSCenFOX pic.twitter.com/OCwbillPj5
— FOX Deportes (@FOXDeportes) April 8, 2024
As a joke, the 39-year-old man clapped the judge and then pointed to the crowd, which he clearly thought had something to do with the decision.
Ronaldo’s temper tantrum will be another big event in what has been a rough time in Saudi Arabia so far.
Ronaldo has scored a lot of goals in the Middle East, but he has also had some bad behavior, and yesterday’s loss ended his hopes of ending the season with a trophy.
Sadio Mane scored late to make the score 2-1 in the 99th minute, but Al-Nassr couldn’t get back on track.
They lost the Asian Champion’s League last month, which was a big disappointment. They are now 12 points behind Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, with only seven games left. The Cup is their only chance to win a trophy.
The first red card Ronaldo got was 20 years ago for United against Aston Villa. It was the 12th red card of his career.