"That's why he fell off so quickly" - Cristiano Ronaldo trolled by fans after he asks Al-Nassr coach for more minutes in 4-1 loss to Benfica

Cristiano Ronaldo became the butt of fans' jokes after he asked Al-Nassr manager Luis Castro to delay his substitution in a 4-1 loss to SL Benfica on Thursday, July 20.

Ronaldo missed Al-Nassr's first two friendlies of the summer against Alverca and Farense after playing the entirety of both of Portugal's 2024 UEFA European Championship qualifiers last month. He returned to action in the Saudi Pro League club's 5-0 defeat against Celta Vigo earlier this week.

Al-Nassr hoped to return to winning ways against Benfica on Thursday, July 20, but things did not according to plan as they suffered a 4-1 loss. A brace from Goncalo Ramos and a goal each from Angel Di Maria and Andreas Schjelderup sunk Castro's men. Khalid Al-Ghannam grabbed a consolation goal for Al-Aalami.

In the 67th minute of the game, Ronaldo was seen motioning to manager Castro to let him stay on the pitch for five more minutes, with the scoreline reading 3-1. The Portuguese icon seemingly wanted to orchestrate a comeback but saw his team concede another goal just one minute later.

The incident did not go unnoticed among fans, who took to social media to brutally troll Ronaldo, with one tweeting:

Here are some more reactions to Cristiano Ronaldo asking Al-Nassr boss Luis Castro to delay his substitution:

Despite suffering heavy defeats against Celta Vigo and Benfica, Al-Nassr will hope that their pre-season camp in Portugal holds them in good stead for the upcoming season. Cristiano Ronaldo will be determined to lead the team to glory, with Marcelo Brozovic, Seko Fofana and potentially Alex Telles and Sadio Mane joining to support him.

Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr face PSG next week

Al-Nassr wrapped up their pre-season camp in Portugal with their 4-1 defeat against Benfica. The Saudi Pro League giants are now set to travel to Asia for a tour of Japan. They are scheduled to face two European heavyweights during the trip.

Cristiano Ronaldo's side will lock horns with Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, July 25. They will then face last season's UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan on Thursday, July 27. Both games will be held at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka.

It remains to be seen how many minutes Cristiano Ronaldo will get across both games. Having lost to Celta Vigo and Benfica, the superstar will be itching to return to action. He bagged 14 goals and two assists from 19 appearances across competitions for the club last term.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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