Not Only Al-Ittihad Mocked Cristiano Ronaldo: Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli Also Produced Memorable Moments

After the 1-2 defeat, Ronaldo received a 6.7 rating with 0 goals and 0 assists. Near the end of the match, he moved behind Danilo Pereira to peek at a tactical note and was caught on camera; the two looked at each other and smiled. Al-Ittihad's English account then posted an image with the caption "Cheating and still losing", while the Arabic account added another line, roughly meaning "Is this what you learned from referee favoritism, diving and cheating?" An ordinary league defeat became a source of jokes and controversy because of that single page of notes.

Early on September 6, in Saudi Pro League Round 5, Al-Ittihad hosted Al-Nassr.

In the 4th minute, Zulejdan crossed from the right and Eleni Hena followed up with a finish for 1-0. In the 22nd minute, Aouar played a chipped pass and Eleni Hena scored again with a volley for 2-0. Al-Nassr pulled one back in the 36th minute when Ronaldo's chipped pass led to Angelo's follow-up finish for 1-2. Ronaldo attempted an overhead kick around the 51st minute but missed the ball, then moved over late in the match to look at Pereira's tactical note. He had 2 shots and 2 shots on target, with a 6.7 rating, while the MVP went to two-goal scorer Eleni Hena with 8.1.

The Al-Ittihad story did not end there.

The English account posted footage of Ronaldo looking at the note, while the Arabic account used different wording and brought the old controversy of "referee favoritism" back into the spotlight. For a team that had just ended the opponent's four-match winning streak, posting an image after the game was easier than a press conference and spread faster.

Al-Fateh did not play this match, but also created an image following the note-related attention. In secondary social media reposts, they edited the moment of Ronaldo looking at the note into a ticket/boarding pass flying to their home ground and used it to gain attention. There was no insult, just traffic, essentially saying "you are trending, so I will attach my name too."

Al-Ahli used a different approach.

On January 3, 2026, in Saudi Pro League Round 13, Al-Ahli defeated Al-Nassr 3-2 at home. In the 7th minute, Galeno crossed and Ivan Toney finished to make it 1-0; in the 20th minute, Toney scored again after a one-on-one chance for 2-0. Al-Nassr equalized through Abdullah Al-Amri's long-range strike in the 31st or 32nd minute and header in the 44th minute. In the 55th minute, Toney set up Demiral's header for the winning goal and a 3-2 final score.

After the match, Al-Ahli's official media posted an image of Toney calling a car, with Ronaldo sitting inside, a license plate reading "Loser", and the caption "Riyadh: 965 kilometers." The road distance between Jeddah and Riyadh is roughly that figure, making the meaning of returning home after defeat clear.

There was another episode after full time. Sporting director Rui Pedro passed near Ronaldo and shouted "Messi"; Ronaldo looked unhappy and Felix stepped in to argue. Pedro later apologized on his personal account, saying he had been celebrating his own goalkeeper and had spoken out in the heat of the moment, rather than targeting Ronaldo specifically.

Demiral scored the winning header that day. In later social media reposts from other matches, he was shown holding an Asian Champions League medal toward the camera/stands; Al-Ahli fans also used "two Asian Champions League titles" to taunt Ronaldo. These items should not be directly tied to the January 3 match and are cleaner as separate follow-up rivalry material.

Al-Hilal did not rely on a ride-hailing joke, but on trophies and highlight clips.

On August 18, 2024, in the Saudi Super Cup final, Al-Hilal beat Al-Nassr 4-1. Ronaldo scored a penalty first in the 44th minute; in the second half, Milinkovic-Savic equalized in the 55th minute, Mitrovic scored twice in the 63rd and 69th minutes, and Malcolm sealed the win in the 72nd minute. During the ceremony, captain Salem Al-Dawsari lifted the trophy, bent down and walked with a sway, recreating Messi's 2022 World Cup celebration, while Al-Hilal fans in the stands chanted "Messi."

Earlier, on April 9, 2024, in the Saudi Super Cup semifinal, Al-Hilal beat Al-Nassr 2-1. Al-Dawsari scored in the 61st minute, Malcolm headed in during the 72nd minute, Ronaldo was sent off in the 86th minute after elbowing Al-Bulaihi, and Mane scored a stoppage-time consolation. After the match, Al-Hilal's official account edited a video combining the elbow incident with a previous neck-lock incident involving Cuellar, referencing WWE and creating a compilation of complaints, gestures and fouls.

Al-Hilal fans had another episode. When Ronaldo missed a derby-related occasion due to injury or being substituted, posters resembling missing-person notices appeared on Riyadh streets, showing Ronaldo in an Al-Nassr shirt with phrases such as "over forty years old" and "excessive crying syndrome." The image was made by fans, not the club, and should not be described as an Al-Hilal official statement.

Putting these cases together, the mocking methods can be divided into three levels.

Al-Ittihad used a two-channel official post after the match, focusing on the note and old referee jokes; Al-Ahli used official winning-match edits, combined with the director's Messi shout and fans' Asian Champions League references; Al-Hilal relied on trophy celebrations, red-card compilations and fan posters, rather than simply insulting through one match's score.

Ronaldo also provides plenty of material. Chipped passes, missed overhead kicks, looking at notes, red cards and gestures can each become separate clips. Opposing official accounts want attention and fans want emotion; with a player of his profile, mockery is almost inevitable.

The note incident itself did not result in a card or a violation call; he simply moved closer during a dead-ball situation to look. But once the context included being 0-2 down, a 6.7 rating and a missed overhead kick, the camera-caught moment of "peeking" became more than curiosity and could be turned into an image suggesting he was taking shortcuts despite age.

On the day of Al-Ahli's 3-2 win, Toney had two goals and one assist and Demiral scored the winning header, giving the official media confidence to post the Loser license plate. In Al-Hilal's 4-1 win, the scoreline came first, followed by the trophy celebration imitation. Mockery never appears from nowhere; it is usually backed by the result beforehand.

Al-Fateh did not even play against Ronaldo but still made an image, showing that the note incident itself had become a talking point and did not require beating Ronaldo to benefit from it. Posting after a win is a finishing blow, while posting without a win is riding the trend; both have low costs and can still gain attention.

During Ronaldo's Saudi seasons, opponents often mention club honors and Asian Champions League history. Al-Ahli can point to two Asian Champions League titles, Al-Hilal has a stronger Asian pedigree, while Al-Nassr's side is centered more around Ronaldo's individual fame. Shouting Messi after matches, displaying five European Cup titles, or showing Asian Champions League medals are essentially ways of comparing how team achievements are counted despite individual greatness.