When Cristiano Ronaldo led Real Madrid to victory in the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, he had the entire stadium at his feet as fans applauded him for his match-winning goal against Brazilian club Gremio.
Seven years later, the age-defying footballing superstar returned to the UAE, this time to lead Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr against UAE club Al Ain FC in an AFC Asian Champions League quarterfinal match.
Naturally, if a five-time Ballon d’Or winner visits your country for a serious game of football, you might expect an avalanche of fans to storm the arena.
On Monday, several ticketless fans arrived at the venue to see one of football’s greatest players in action.
However, not everyone at the majestic Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium supported Ronaldo.
Many Emirati fans drove from Abu Dhabi to support Al Ain, the 14-time UAE champions, in Monday’s game.
Many Omani fans traveled from neighboring countries to support Al Ain FC in Garden City.
However, many football fans were enjoying the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see a true footballing icon live.
Pong Wang, a Vietnamese tourist, arrived in Al Ain from Ras Al Khaimah without match tickets for his friends.
Fortunately, a Saudi national saw his desperate plea for tickets at the main gate and generously offered him and his friends tickets for free.
As Wang took his seat in the stadium, he probably felt like a classic centre-forward who had just received the perfect pass to score an exquisite goal.
But there were no goals for Ronaldo or Al Nassr on Monday night, as Al Ain won by a single goal, prompting deafening cheers and even chants of ‘Messi, Messi’ from the home crowd!
Just days after receiving a suspension for his controversial reaction to rival fans chanting ‘Messi, Messi’ in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo was reminded of Lionel Messi, his great Argentine rival.
This time, the chants came as his team was desperately attempting to save the match against an inspired Al Ain side.
The Saudi club failed to equalise, and jubilant Al Ain fans returned home singing their club anthem.
“It was fantastic; we showed Ronaldo and Al Nassr that we are ‘The Boss’,” Ahmed, an Emirati teenager, said, referring to Al Ain FC’s nickname ‘The Boss’.
“I didn’t, but plenty of Al Ain fans chanted Messi’s name. He (Ronaldo) disliked it, but did not react. “He remained calm.”
Throughout the match on Monday, the former Real Madrid striker did not react to the chants.
But, after the final whistle, Ronaldo smiled at the crowd before disappearing into the tunnel.
He will now wait for the second leg of the quarterfinals on March 11 in Riyadh, when Al Nassr hopes to overcome a 1-0 deficit against Al Ain and advance to the competition’s semifinals.
