After viewing the reward he received for winning the Man of the Match award, fans joked about Cristiano Ronaldo finally getting his hands on the World Cup trophy.
On Wednesday night, Ronaldo scored a 75th-minute winner to advance Al Nassr to the Arab Club Champions Cup final.
After new signing Sadio Mane was fouled inside the box, he converted an impressive penalty to seal a 1-0 victory over Al Shorta.
Before the spot-kick was awarded, VAR was called, and Ronaldo made no mistake from 12 yards.
His winning strike earned him Player of the Match honors, and the prize looked like something you’d win at a children’s football presentation.
The trophy was almost a tiny version of the World Cup, and it was Ronaldo’s only piece of silverware in his amazing collection.
The Arab Club Champions Cup indeed resemble the Jules Rimet trophy, but Ronaldo was thoroughly humiliated on social media.
One user wrote, “Ronaldo receiving his first World Cup trophy.”
“They Awarded Ronaldo a Homemade World Cup trophy,” a second joked.
“Did you guys see Ronaldo’s World Cup trophy?” a third person said. He’s overjoyed! “I finally got it.”
A fourth shared the same sentiment, writing, “They made a World Cup trophy for Ronaldo.”
“Why do I feel like Saudi Arabia is trying to make up for Ronaldo missing out on the World Cup by giving him the trophy lookalike?” said a fifth user.
A final fan reiterated prior remarks, stating, “Nah, they made a World Cup replica trophy for Ronaldo’s happiness.”
Ronaldo has eight goals at the World Cup, but none of them have come in a knockout game. Portugal’s best finish with Ronaldo on the team occurred in 2006, with the team most recently losing to Morocco in the quarter-finals.
However, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is in prime position to win his first trophy with Al Nassr. In Saturday’s final, they will meet the winner of Al Hilal and Al Shabab.
Al Nassr will then face Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq in their first game of the new Saudi Pro League season on Monday.