Cristiano Ronaldo is undeniably one of the best players of all time, as the Portuguese captain and 5x Champions League winner is closing in on the elusive 1,000 goals scored mark.
However, Ronaldo isn’t having the best of times in Saudi Arabia. While his bank balance is certainly thanking the Saudi move courtesy of the €3.8M per week wages, Ronaldo’s reputation and perception have taken a massive hit both on and off the pitch.
The Portuguese legend has become a shell of his former self, struggling to dribble, moving clumsily, and not being able to perform basic actions, resulting in him losing the ball.
When things don’t go Ronaldo’s way, he resorts to diving and trying to con the referee into awarding the spot kick. Earlier this season, Al Nassr faced Al Hazm in the league, and Ronaldo was having a relatively poor game. In an embarrassing moment, he blatantly dove to get a penalty, and despite there being no contact, he kept on screaming at the referee, hoping to get the decision in his favor.
كريستيانو رونالدو يطالب بركلة جزاء 🥅
— رياضة ثمانية (@thmanyahsports) October 25, 2025
رأيكم؟ 🤔#الحزم_النصر pic.twitter.com/2nWzWkf8BC
Ronaldo, who was already a prolific penalty taker, has had to rely on penalties more and more. In the last 18 months, he has taken as many as 22 penalties, including 6 this season already.
The recent game against Al Qadisiyah saw Ronaldo having a lacklustre game, where he was anonymous the whole 90 minutes and had the least amount of touches of any outfield player (31). He did score a goal… from the penalty spot, but couldn’t stop his team from succumbing to a 2-1 loss.
Al Nassr started the season in a dominant fashion, winning their first 11 games of the season, but after a draw and two losses in their last 3 games, rivals Al Hilal haven’t just crept up the table, they have also overtaken Al Nassr with a healthy 4-point lead. The gap could become 7 points as the two sides face each other tomorrow.
To make matters worse for Ronaldo, fans have started noticing his social media pattern and criticising him for his hypocritical nature.
Anytime Al Nassr wins a game, Ronaldo makes posts about himself where only he is the focus of attention. But anytime Al Nassr loses a game, Ronaldo makes the post about the team rather than himself, essentially making the loss about the entire team.
As soon as the recent Al Nassr vs Al Qadisiyah match ended, Ronaldo’s haters were eagerly waiting for Ronaldo to post a team photo.
Al Nassr lost?? Bet how many minutes until he posts a team photo…
— Days since Ronaldo last won a trophy (@HasCR7wonTr0phy) January 8, 2026
And Ronaldo did not disappoint. He posted a photo of the team with the caption “This fight isn’t over. We keep working and we will rise together!”
This fight isn’t over. We keep working and we will rise together! pic.twitter.com/5wzixHicoH
— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) January 8, 2026
Once the Ronaldo post dropped, X (formerly Twitter) was immediately flooded with posts mocking Ronaldo for his choice of photos, and Ronaldo fans had to resort to empty comebacks stating that it’s his account and he can post what he wants.
Al Nassr, who have lost their last two games, were on an unbelievable run of games, winning the first 11 games of the league. The team’s last loss came against Al Ittihad on October 28th in the league cup.
Coincidentally, the last team photo on Ronaldo’s account was also posted on October 28th with the caption “We stand tall, learn, and move forward together”.
While some Ronaldo fans did try to defend their idol, pointing out posts where Ronaldo included the team in photos where they won.
However, they were heavily outnumbered by Ronaldo haters and reiterating the logic that Ronaldo’s photo was at the front while the team’s photos were at the back of the thread.
Ronaldo’s self-centered behavior on social media has never been a big secret. In fact, in one of the most astounding Instagram posts, Ronaldo, whose teams Juventus and Manchester United struggled in 2021, saw Ronaldo boasting his goal tally and implying that his goals have been carrying the team.
Ronaldo fans have always defended it, trying to dismiss incidents with rebuttals like, “Ronaldo lives in your head rent-free,” anytime Messi fans tried to start a discussion on such posts. But now, even those fans are few and far between as neutrals have started noticing Ronaldo’s self-centered tendencies.
What do you make of Ronaldo’s selfishness? Do you think haters are right to mock him for it or do you think he’s Ronaldo and has he earned the right to be selfish? Let us know in the comments section.
