Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi: Al Nassr fans blows kisses to Al Hilal fans chanting rival’s name

Cristiano Ronaldo had a Riyadh derby to forget after his Al-Nassr side were thrashed 3-0 by Al-Hilal on December 1.

The evenly-contested tie at the King Fahd International Stadium got out of Al-Nassr's reach in the 64th minute after Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring.

Ronaldo was denied a penalty at the other end after a blatant foul by Yassine Bounou before Aleksandr Mitrovic bagged his 12th and 13 goals of the season to seal the win for the Neymar-less giants.

It was an all-around damaging night for Ronaldo, who once again had to deal with rival fans chanting the name of his greatest archnemesis - Lionel Messi.

In a video shared by TNT Sports, Al-Hilal fans could be heard chanting Messi's name as the players retreated to the dressing room for half-time.

Ronaldo acknowledged the chants and responded by sending kisses their way as he headed down the tunnel.

Ronaldo-Messi rivalry

The Ronaldo-Messi rivalry requires no reintroduction, with the two having shared the grandest of stages for close to 15 years. They are regarded as the best-ever footballers of this generation, with their fans often debating who the GOAT is.

The two are currently plying their trades in 'less fancy' leagues as they enjoy what is remaining of their illustrious careers.

The defeat saw Al-Hilal open a seven-point gap at the top of the Saudi League table.

Carragher angers Ronaldo fans

Sports Brief reported the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi debate is probably the longest-running football debate in history and every week, there's a fresh take from pundits and ex-footballers.

This time, it was Jamie Carragher who gave another take on the debate, and Ronaldo fans were outraged.

During the CBS Sports Champions League broadcast this week, the former Liverpool defender said the endless debate is not even close.

Cristiano Ronaldo blowing kisses to Al-Hilal fans chanting ‘Messi’ at half-time ????

(via @SPL_EN) pic.twitter.com/cSDGsoKxF1

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 1, 2023