Cristiano Ronaldo knelt down to perform a prayer celebration a la Mohamed Salah after scoring the game-winning goal for Al-Nassr against Al-Shabab.
WHAT OCCURED? The Portuguese forward gave Al-Nassr a 3-2 win against Al-Shabab on Tuesday night by hitting a thunderous goal to keep their title aspirations alive. He sprinted towards the corner flag with his arms extended after scoring the goal, but before he could celebrate with the traditional “Siuu,” he was swarmed by his teammates. The players continued to surround him, and inside the circle, Ronaldo was seen bowing to the ground and saying the Sujud prayer of gratitude, which is frequently performed by Muslim footballers around the world like Sadio Mane of Bayern Munich and Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah.
After Ronaldo performed the Sujud as a sign of respect, his teammates heartily accepted his gesture and began to applaud.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: According to reports in the Spanish media, Ronaldo claims he wants to leave Al-Nassr because he finds living in Saudi Arabia to be “very disconnected from modern society.” But after his agency refuted those allegations, these rumors were put to rest. The most recent celebration demonstrates that the footballer is indeed having a good time in Saudi Arabia and is making an effort to learn more about the culture there.
THEN WHAT? In 15 league games, Ronaldo already has 14 goals, and he’ll try to keep up this strong run of play in the final two games against Ettifaq and Al-Fateh.
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