9 months ago
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Cristiano Ronaldo marked his first goal of 2024 with a new celebration - and fans think it may be a nod to Kylian Mbappe.
The Portuguese superstar stole the headlines once again after scoring a late winner for Al-Nassr in the Asian Champions League on Wednesday.
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Ronaldo poked home the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory away to Al-Fayha following a give-and-go with teammate Marcelo Brozovic.
The forward, who turned 39 earlier this month, wheeled away in glee before leaping in the air, seemingly to perform his signature 'Siu' celebration.
However, instead of swivelling in the air as he normally does, Ronaldo landed straight down before putting his hands across his chest.
The gesture appeared to be a combination of his two notable celebrations, with the second a tribute to how he acts when asleep.
Ronaldo first unveiled that manoeuvre with his sleeping pose in Portugal's Portugal's 6-0 thrashing of Luxembourg last year.
But on this occasion, he failed to pirouette mid-air which led to fans believing the new celebration was actually a nod to Mbappe.
One fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twiiter: "Looks like Mbappe's celebration to me."
Another added: "If he did that mbappe cele it would have been too cold fr", while a third said: "Giving mbappe vibes!"
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Mbappe has added to his famous crossed-arms celebration in recent years with a forward jump preceding the gesture, similar to Ronaldo's.
The obvious link between the pair is that the Frenchman grew up idolizing CR7, having had a shrine to the Portugal captain on his bedroom wall growing up when the latter was at Real Madrid.
But the pair haven't shared the same pitch together since Paris Saint-Germain's 5-4 win over the Saudi Arabia’s All-Stars in January 2023.
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Ronaldo is relishing finally getting off the mark for this year, with injuries and a winter break disrupting his progress.
Despite his most recent strike garnering more headlines, the man himself was quick to hail the team's efforts on social media.
In a post on Instagram, Ronaldo wrote: “Kicking off the round of 16 with a win! Good work, team!”
Al-Nassr return to Saudi Pro League action on Saturday, when they host Al Fateh, before the return leg against Al-Fayha next week.
