Immediately after the final whistle at Al Awwal Park, Ronaldo shook his head and walked directly into the tunnel, choosing not to stay and receive a medal with his teammates. When the Gamba Osaka players stepped onto the podium to receive the cup from AFC representatives, Al Nassr's captain was absent from the host team's lineup.
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Ronaldo left the field immediately after Al Nassr's match against Gamba Osaka in the AFC Champions League Two final at Al Awwal Park, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on 16/5. Photo: screenshot
The CentreGoals account on X posted a video, stating, "Cristiano Ronaldo did not join the team to receive his silver medal." The post quickly garnered hundreds of comments, many of which criticized the Portuguese superstar's reaction.
The account drago7028 sarcastically remarked that Ronaldo "missed easy chances in the match then reacted unprofessionally during the awards ceremony." Meanwhile, HB commented that not accepting the medal was "inconsistent with the sportsmanship image" the 41-year-old forward has built throughout his career. Other fans, such as nutnutfunny, also believed Ronaldo displayed the image of a bitter loser.
On Reddit, user anyelo-cp wrote, "Ronaldo disappeared at the awards ceremony, didn't get a medal. This is the first time I've seen something like this."
Another fan, PlasticPreparation74, responded that the action was disappointing.
However, some opinions defended the former Man Utd and Real Madrid forward. User SaMich25656 wrote that Al Nassr could not defeat a mid-tier Japanese team, also calling Ronaldo "the unluckiest player in the world."
This marks Al Nassr's fourth consecutive final loss since Ronaldo joined in early 2023, following the King Cup 2024 and two Saudi Super Cup matches in 2024, 2025. Al Nassr has missed out on a total of 14 official titles in over three years with Ronaldo, including the Saudi Pro League, King Cup, Saudi Super Cup, and Asian competitions.
Ronaldo also had a disappointing match. He took 5 shots but did not trouble the goalkeeper. According to Fotmob, Ronaldo received only a 5,9 rating – the second lowest in the Al Nassr squad, only higher than goalkeeper Bento (5,6 points). The 41-year-old forward missed two clear chances, both in the first half.
Two of the chances Ronaldo missed in the final. Video: VNE
Al Nassr dominated possession and took 5 times more shots than their opponents but failed to break through the visitors' defense. The only goal came in the 30th minute when forward Deniz Hummet broke free to score after a through pass from Issam Jebali. The 1-0 victory made Gamba Osaka the first team to win both the AFC Champions League and the AFC Champions League Two.
One notable figure was Gamba Osaka's 18-year-old goalkeeper Rui Araki. Araki was given a chance to play only a few weeks ago but made six saves in the final to help his team clinch the title.
During the cup ceremony, Tran Quoc Tuan, President of the Vietnam Football Federation and currently Head of the AFC Competitions Committee, presented the trophy to Gamba Osaka on behalf of AFC President Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.
This was the 15th final loss of Ronaldo's professional career, two more than Lionel Messi. Nevertheless, Ronaldo still has a chance to salvage the season. Al Nassr will face Damac in the final round of the Saudi Pro League 2025-2026 on 22/5. If they win, coach Jorge Jesus's team will still be national champions.
Hoang An compiled
