Cristiano Ronaldo’s former teammate poses with Ivan Toney and winners’ medal after Al-Ahli beat Al-Nassr in Saudi Super Cup final

Cristiano Ronaldo's former teammate Merih Demiral has shared a picture with Ivan Toney and the winners' medal after winning the Saudi Super Cup. Al-Ahli got the better of Al-Nassr in the final on Saturday, August 23, at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Ronaldo put his team ahead in the 41st minute from the penalty spot, which, incidentally, was his 100th goal for the Saudi club. In the process, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner became the first player to score a century of goals in four different countries, as well as for his national team.

However, Franck Kessie brought Al-Ahli back in the game in the sixth minute of first half injury time. Marcelo Brozovic sent Al-Nassr ahead in the 82nd minute, only for Roger Ibanez to level the scores seven minutes later.

Unfortunately, the Riyadh-based club lost 5-3 on penalties, marking Cristiano Ronaldo's third defeat in finals since moving to the Middle East. Demiral, interestingly, shared the pitch with the Portuguese superstar during their time together at Juventus.

The Turkish defender moved to Saudi Arabia in 2023 and was part of Al-Ahli's starting XI for the Saudi Super Cup final. Following the win, Demirah shared a series of pictures on social media, including one of him and Ivan Toney with their winner's medals.

Interestingly, the Englishman had been quite vocal in his criticism of the Saudi Arabian authorities over their treatment of Al-Ahli ahead of the final.

“To be honest, the preparation and how we've been treated is crazy. We've been on the worst pitch, and trained after other teams. We've been the most hated, the team nobody wants to win; it gives us that extra hunger and fight to win something against these teams,” said Toney.

Ivan Toney moved to Al-Ahly from Brentford last summer.

How many times have Cristiano Ronaldo and Ivan Toney faced each other in their career?

Cristiano Ronaldo has come up against Ivan Toney on six occasions so far. The Portuguese ace first locked horns with the Englishman during their time with Manchester United and Brentford, respectively.

The duo faced each other thrice in the Premier League, with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner coming out on top on two occasions. They have faced each other thrice since moving to the Middle East, and both have one win to their name so far. Interestingly, Cristiano Ronaldo scored 25 goals in the Saudi Pro League last season, while Ivan Toney registered 23 goals.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit