Cristiano Ronaldo swaps red card rage for beach tranquility (2024)

Cristiano Ronaldo was spotted relaxing on the beach - just days after he was sent off for violent conduct.

Ronaldo, 39, lost his head on Monday evening during Al-Nassr's Saudi Super Cup semi-final defeat by Al-Hilal, with the veteran superstar appearing to elbow and stamp on an opponent - beforethen inexplicably raising his fist towards the referee.

Al-Nassr were 2-0 down at the time of Ronaldo's 86th minute dismissal, with the Real Madrid legend involved in a clash with Ali Al-Bulayhi.

Sadio Mane scored a 99th minute consolation, but Al-Nassr crashed out following Ronaldo's antics on what was a hugely frustrating evening.

The Portuguese attacker was heavily criticised after the incident, but just three days later, he was seen relaxing on the beach alongside his partner Georgina Rodriguez.

In a series of snaps shared by the model and influencer, her and Ronaldo were taking some time away from the limelight, in what seemed to be Abu Dhabi.

Her post was captioned: 'Two days for two', and in one shot Ronaldo was snapped enjoying some food and drinks while relaxing on a sun lounger, with his ripped physique on show.

During his aforementioned clash with Al-Hilal's Al-Bulayhi, the defender tried to prevent the Portuguese superstar from grabbing the ball to take a quick throw-in, leading to the pair squaring up.

Footage then showed Ronaldo throwing an elbow in the direction of the Al-Hilal defender, sending him crashing to the floor and sparking a melee of pushing and shoving between the players.

Another clip then appeared to show Ronaldo stamping on an already downed Al- Bulayhi– but the advertising boards obstructed the view, making it unclear whether Ronaldo made contact with the player.

The incident sparked a brawl between the two Saudi rival teams, with former Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibalyrushing to the aid of his team-mate before being pushed, with Al-Nassr and former Man City defenderAymeric Laportetrying to act as peacemaker in the dramatic late scenes.

Ronaldo watched on as the two sets of players pushed and shoved each other but refereeMohammed Al-Hoaish soon brandished a straight red card, leaving the 39-year-old incensed at the match official.

So much so, Ronaldo motioned as if he wanted to throw a punch – or perhaps punch the ball he was holding – in the referee's direction before withdrawing the action.

Having already landed himself in very hot water, Ronaldo then sarcastically patted one match official on the shoulder after being shown the red.

As he was leaving the pitch, Ronaldo appeared to tell the crowd 'all of you are witnessing this robbery'.

It was an extremely controversial ending to a frustrating night for both club and player as they were eliminated from the competition by the Saudi Pro League leaders.

Earlier in the match, Ronaldo had already clashed with the referee after Al-Nassr had a goal disallowed with the score still goalless.

Otavio thought he had given his side the lead, but it was chalked off after Ronaldo had failed to make contact with the ball and Otavio was deemed to be in an offside position when he put the ball into the net.

The Portuguese icon was shown a yellow card for his protesting over the disallowed goal, setting the wheels in motion for tempers to boil over later in the game.

Salem Aldawsari and Malcom secured the win for Al-Hilal with two second-half goals to proceed to the next round of the Saudi Super Cup, with Mane adding a late consolation deep into injury time for 10-man Al-Nassr.

It's not the first time Ronaldo has made headlines for all the wrong reasons in Saudi football this season.

The former Manchester United star wassuspended for one match by Saudi football chiefs after he appeared to make an obscene gesture during Al-Nassr's win over Al-Shabab in February and they are now set to be without him again for at least one game.