Ronaldo couldn’t believe he was not awarded the Best Player of the final, although he had scored both the goals that led Al-Nassr to their first ever Arab Club Champions Cup trophy.
With just under 20 minutes remaining in the game, Al-Nassr were staring at a 1-0 defeat, after Michael’s opener, and were also a man short following Abdulelah Al-Amri’s red card.
Well this time on, Ronaldo turned the tide as usual with an equalizer just 16 minutes before the final whistle.
Despite the numerical disadvantage of Al-Nassr, Ronaldo spearheaded the game as it went to extra time.
He headed the ball into the back of the net, off the rebound of Seko Fofana’s long-range effort. Al-Hilal tried their best for an equalizer, but Al-Nassr held firm and clinched the title.
Though Ronaldo won multiple awards, including that of the Top Scorer of the Tournament with six goals, the Best Player award of the final went to Sergei Milinkovic-Savic, despite being on the losing side.
Ronaldo’s reaction clearly indicated that he was unhappy with the with the decision, but was not amused.
Meanwhile, he even spoke about it to one of the presenters, when he held up two fingers indicating his two goals in the final and portraying a bemused facial expression.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s reaction to not getting player of the tournament… 😳 pic.twitter.com/Gm4GK9fVIe
— Saudi Xtra (@SaudiXtra) August 13, 2023
)
However, on Instagram, he expressed his happiness after winning the first title for Al-Nassr, and stated,
“Extremely proud to help the team win this important trophy for the first time! Thank you to everyone in the club that was involved in this great achievement, and to my family and friends for always being by my side! Fantastic support by our fans! This also belongs to you!”
