Cristiano Ronaldo viciously smiles on Lionel Messi (Courtesy: Screengrab @nocontextfooty/X)
Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo and his Inter-Miami counter-part Lionel Messi missed the friendly fixture on Thursday due to their calf ailment recovery and hamstring injury respectively. The match was originally billed as “The Last Dance” between the modern-day greats but lost its excitement due to the absence of the two-star players. However, thanks to the cameraman, a cheeky moment was ignited between the two when Al-Nassr was leading 3-0 in the contest.
The moment took place during the 24th-minute mark as the camera panned toward a hapless-looking Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in a split-screen. The Argentine World Cup winner looked worried on the bench about his team”s performance while the Al Nassr forward viciously smiled at his counterpart after looking at him on the giant screen from the VIP box. The moment drew a lot of cheer among the fans as they saw the two greats together and instantly went viral on social media.
Check out the moment here:
— Out Of Context Football (@nocontextfooty) February 1, 2024
Al Nassr produced an exhilarating performance to blank Inter-Miami 6-0 at the Kingdom Arena. Otavio netted the opening goal in the third minute while Talisca (10″, 51″, 73) was the star of the match with a hat-trick. Meanwhile, Aymeric Laporte (12″) and Mohammed Maran (68″) scored one each to silence the likes of Luis Suarez and Sergio Busquets on the visiting side.
The Talisca hat-trick not only highlighted the huge gulf in class between the two sides but also displayed his love and respect for Ronaldo as he paid tribute to the Portuguese with his celebratory gesture.
