Cristiano Ronaldo is having a hard time in Al Nassr. In their 2-0 loss to Al Hilal, the Portuguese forward was yellow carded for producing a move straight from WWE.
The Portuguese superstar found the game to be irritating. Al Nassr generated very few chances and struggled a lot. Al-Hilal led by two goals after Odion Ighalo’s two penalties, one in each half of the game.
Although Ronaldo appeared to have given his team the lead with a spectacular finish, the 38-year-old was ruled to be offside in a very tight decision. Al Nassr was given a penalty when Ronaldo’s free kick struck Moussa Marega in the arm, but a VAR review overruled that judgment as well.
The five-time Champions League champion was furious after missing a headed opportunity. After falling to the reigning Saudi and Asian Champions League champions, Al Nassr’s pursuit of the Saudi Pro League championship weakened significantly. The loss to their city rivals added insult to injury.
What did Cristiano Ronaldo do mid-match?
Having played one more game, Ronaldo and Al Nassr presently trail league leaders Al-Ittihad by three points with 53 points after 24 games. Fans’ attention was drawn to Ronaldo’s antics with an Al-Hilal player, though. Ronaldo was given a yellow card for an unusual tackle. It was the second card he received since arriving in the Arab country. Al Hilal player Gustavo Cuellar was taken down by Ronaldo after being grabbed by the head and neck.
Cristiano Ronaldo in WWE MODE! Gets a yellow card after taking an Al Hilal player down with a headlock 😂
— The FTBL Index 🎙 ⚽ (@TheFootballInd) April 18, 2023
pic.twitter.com/RzWOCkFgET
A video of the tackle became viral on social media including Twitter. When they saw Cristiano Ronaldo use former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Dolph Ziggler’s finishing maneuver on the football field, wrestling, and football fans erupted in laughter.
Dolph Ziggler himself was intrigued by the maneuver and posted a clip of himself using it on Alberto Del Rio while standing on top of a ladder. Fans of both sports then mocked CR7 on Twitter by comparing a tackle to Dolph Ziggler’s famous ZigZag WWE finisher.
One Twitter user wrote, “Bro thinks he’s Dolph Ziggler.”
Bro thinks he's Dolph Ziggler.. https://t.co/92u0tjhG3Z pic.twitter.com/7orM860GvX
— . (@Formersoccerfan) April 19, 2023
Another wrote, “He hit him with the dolph ziggler finisher.”
Could Ronaldo have been in WWE?
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner would have been “okay” in professional wrestling, according to WWE NXT’s Apollo Crews.
After being let go by Manchester United in November of last year, Ronaldo had a lot of alternatives. Metro believed that Ronaldo would be a great addition to WWE but Apollo Crews put an end to the rumors in a December interview.
Crews warned the former Real Madrid player that the roughness of professional wrestling might not be suitable for him. However, he praised Ronaldo’s attitude and his standing as a top athlete.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr will have to divert their attention from the Saudi Pro League, ahead of their King Cup of Champions matchup against Al Wehda on Tuesday.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a promising start with Al Nassr, but he has now gone two games without scoring. The chances of Al Nassr winning the league also appear slim. It remains to be seen if Ronaldo can score again to help his team win the next game.
