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Cristiano Ronaldo’s Night of Taunts Overshadows Spectacular Bicycle Kick

Ronaldo did not cover himself in glory during Al Nassr’s first win of 2026.
Grey Whitebloom|
Cristiano Ronaldo stole the headlines once again for Al Nassr.
Cristiano Ronaldo stole the headlines once again for Al Nassr. | Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images

Al Nassr snapped a three-game losing streak with the help of a stunning overhead kick from Kingsley Coman, yet the night was still defined by, you guessed it, Cristiano Ronaldo.

The edges have started to fray around the veteran Portuguese forward as he approaches his 41st birthday. After sulking through his worst start to any calendar year across his entire senior career, Ronaldo couldn’t get through Saturday’s 3–2 victory over Al Shabab without controversy, clashing repeatedly with the opposition goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe.

Ronaldo failed to get a touch on João Félix’s deflected cross, yet still celebrated Saad Balobaid’s own goal as if it was his which opened the scoring this weekend. Coman doubled the hosts’ lead with a nifty acrobatic effort in the eighth minute to set Al Nassr on course for what many expected to be an easy home win against a side just two points above the relegation zone.

However, with Ronaldo confined entirely to the fringes of the contest—his first shot from open play would not come until the end of the scoring in the 82nd minute—Al Shabab fought their way back. Mohamed Simakan’s first-half own goal halved the deficit before the visitors’ Brazilian striker Carlos drew his side level at 2–2 in the 53rd minute.

Vincent Sierro was shown a second yellow card for a blatant body-check on Coman, setting up a nervy final quarter of the contest. Abdulrahman Ghareeb eventually struck the winning goal for the hosts with a deflected effort in the 76th minute, yet it was what followed which caught the eye of many.

Ronaldo’s Unseemly Actions Against Al Shabab

Sniffing around for a tap-in, Ronaldo was stood right next to Al Shabab’s Grohe as Ghareeb’s shot squirmed into the far corner. While running past the prone goalkeeper, Ronaldo felt compelled to shove his shaved head towards the turf.

The social media cut-up of the incident then shows Ronaldo hugging Grohe, but that skips the extensive gesturing which took place before the muted reconciliation.

As Ronaldo trotted back to the touchline, Grohe made a beeline for the referee, imploring a consultation with VAR. Al Nassr’s skipper did little to mask his disdain for this behavior, repeatedly pointing at the goalkeeper while laughing in faux shock. The 40-year-old then proceeded to mimic crying, pretending to rub his watery eyes like an emoji come to life.

The match had still not yet been restarted by the time Ronaldo adopted a change of tack. The former Real Madrid man offered a thumbs-up and shook Grohe’s gloved hand. The goalkeeper still had plenty to say to his fellow Portuguese speaker before Ronaldo belatedly wrapped up this unseemly affair with an unconvincing hug.

Ronaldo’s Past Run-Ins With Grohe

Ronaldo’s first meeting with Grohe was a successful one for the Portuguese forward. Then in goal for Gremio, the South American shot-stopper was dumbfounded by a thunderous free kick from Ronaldo in the final of the 2017 Club World Cup which Real Madrid would go on to win.

Grohe would find himself on the winning side when the pair were reunited in Saudi Arabia five years later, denying Ronaldo a goal in a 3–1 triumph for Al Ittihad in the domestic Super Cup semifinal.

Two months later, Ronaldo would draw another blank in a 1–0 defeat to Grohe and Al Ittihad in the Pro League, prompting the stroppy veteran to storm off the pitch and lash out at a series of water bottles.

Ronaldo did belatedly score against Grohe again while he was at Al Kholood last season, but his mini-meltdown this weekend shows just how close to an unseemly outburst he is when he is kept off the scoresheet.

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Grey Whitebloom
GREY WHITEBLOOM

Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.

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