Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice in what could have been his final showdown with his great rival Lionel Messi as his team, a combined XI of Saudi Arabian teams Al Nassr and Al Hilal lost to Paris St Germain 5-4 on Thursday. Ronaldo was playing with a swollen cheek after a collision with PSG goalkeeper and his former Real Madrid teammate Keylor Navas but the Portuguese football great managed to find the back of the net twice.
His performance led to former India cricket captain Virat Kohli to pay tribute to Ronaldo on his Instagram handle, while lashing out at “football experts” who have criticised Ronaldo off late. Ronaldo has drawn polarised reactions to the way he exited Manchester United, lashing out against the club and manager Erik Ten Hag in an interview with British television anchor Piers Morgan. While he had stated that he intends to continue playing in Europe in the interview, he went on to sign for the Saudi Arabia based Al-Nassr. The two goals he scored on Thursday night were his first in the country since signing for the club.
“Still doing it at the highest level at 38. The football experts sitting and criticising him every week for attention are conveniently quiet now that he's put in this kind of performance against one of the top clubs in the world. And he was apparently finished,” said Kohli in his story on Instagram. Kohli has made no secret of the fact that he is an admirer of Ronaldo. The former India skipper himself has drawn comparison to the Portuguese football great for his obsession with fitness and for being considered one of the best players of his generation.
After more than three years of not being able to score a century, in which period he also went through an alarming slide particularly in T20 cricket, Kohli seems to have rediscovered his form off late. The 34-year-old ended his century drought by scoring his first-ever T20 international ton in the Asia Cup. He has since gone on a run in which he scored three centuries in four ODI matches, two of which came back to back. Kohli is now three centuries away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar's record for most tons in the format.
{{/usCountry}}After more than three years of not being able to score a century, in which period he also went through an alarming slide particularly in T20 cricket, Kohli seems to have rediscovered his form off late. The 34-year-old ended his century drought by scoring his first-ever T20 international ton in the Asia Cup. He has since gone on a run in which he scored three centuries in four ODI matches, two of which came back to back. Kohli is now three centuries away from equalling Sachin Tendulkar's record for most tons in the format.
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