After a long wait of seventeen months, Cristiano Ronaldo has got revenge for Lionel Messi on Ali Al-Bulayhi! Last night, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr faced Al-Hilal in the semifinals of the Saudi Super Cup. While it was a tough night for Al-Nassr as they crashed out of the competition, Ronaldo ironically managed to avenge Messi’s humiliation in the 2022 World Cup.
In what was a feisty encounter, Ronaldo‘s Al-Nassr had nearly taken the lead from Otavio’s goal which was later ruled out for offside. The referee’s decision didn’t go down well with Ronaldo who was spotted vehemently arguing with the referee and even got a yellow card for his actions. The deadlock was finally broken in the 61st minute when Salem Aldawasari scored for Al-Hilal and Malcolm doubled the lead in the 72nd minute.
Ronaldo really did this? Lmao 🤣 pic.twitter.com/wDo7l6hGvd
— Bráhim (@Ade_adeyemi_) April 9, 2024
With Al-Nassr desperately in search of a goal, Cristiano Ronaldo got into an altercation with Al-Hilal’s Ali Al-Bulayhi in the final few minutes of the match. The Al-Nassr talisman appeared to elbow Al-Bulayhi in the chest which immediately caught the attention of the referee. The match official wasted no time in showing a direct red card to Ronaldo, who shockingly appeared to aim a punch at the referee after the decision.
While the incident has gone viral on social media platforms, most fans have criticized Ronaldo’s actions. Moreover, Ronaldo might also be served with a heavy fine and suspension following his gesture towards the referee. However, some fans have stated that Al-Bulayhi got what he deserved, especially after provoking the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo receives the 12th red card of his career
It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s 12th career red card after being sent off for elbowing Ali Al-Bulayhi. It was Ronaldo’s first red card in six years and also his first in an Al-Nassr shirt. The first red card of Ronaldo’s career came way back twenty years ago when he was still playing for Manchester United. He has received four red cards for Manchester United, six for Real Madrid, one for Juventus, and now, one for Al-Nassr.
Sergio Ramos has received RED CARD 28 times in his career. 😉 pic.twitter.com/2FrLvgAVDR
— vumaSPORT (@vumaSPORT) October 9, 2022
The last time the 39-year-old was sent off was during Juventus’ Champions League match against Valencia in 2018. The Portuguese star was shown a red card for pulling the hair of his opponent in what was the former’s first Champions League appearance for the Serie A giants. However, Ronaldo’s tally of 12 red cards is still nowhere near to his former teammate Sergio Ramos’ tally, who has received a whopping 28 career red cards.
Lionel Messi’s altercation with Ali Al-Bulayhi in the 2022 World Cup
Meanwhile, Al-Hilal‘s Ali Al-Bulayhi has built a reputation for getting into the heads of even the best players in the world. Al-Bulayhi’s antics managed to get Cristiano Ronaldo sent off from the Saudi Super Cup semifinal clash yesterday. However, Al-Bulayhi’s mind games were also effective against Ronaldo’s arch-rival, Lionel Messi.
In what was one of the biggest upsets of the 2022 World Cup, Al-Bulayhi’s Saudi Arabia defeated Messi’s Argentina in the group stages. During the match, Al-Bulayhi and Messi were spotted having a go at each other. After Saudi Arabia’s historic 2-1 victory, Al-Bulayhi came clean on his interaction with the Argentine skipper. He revealed, “I told him (Messi): you will not win, you will not win.”
Lionel Messi was confused when Saudi Arabia defender Ali Al-Bulayhi went up to him after Saudi Arabia’s second goal. The defender slapped Messi’s back and said, “You will not win, you will not win!” #lionelmessi #messi #argentina #worldcup2022 pic.twitter.com/D6Mhn8K0xC
— Arasale.com (@Arasalecom) November 24, 2022
Messi, who initially looked puzzled after hearing Al-Bulayhi’s words, laughed off the incident. While Al-Bulayhi’s prediction did come true, it was Messi who had the last laugh as he led Argentina to World Cup victory a month later in the final against France.
