Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines for his gesture in Al Nassr’s AFC Champions League game against Iranian side Persepolis. With the ball at his feet, the striker seemed to go down in the penalty area which caused the referee to award a penalty. But, he got up and corrected the referee himself saying it wasn’t a penalty.

After VAR intervention, it was confirmed that the tackle was clean and there was no penalty needed. But the gesture has earned the Al Nassr talisman respect from across the football community, as they went on to draw the match 0-0 in spite of finishing with 10 men.

Cristiano Ronaldo steals the spotlight by denying himself a penalty

Soccer Football – Saudi Pro League – Al Nassr v Al Shabab – KSU Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – May 23, 2023 Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Their draw will not hamper their chances of qualifying from their AFC Champions League group, as they already have a five–point lead and are guaranteed to finish first even if they lose their last group stage game.

The Portugal international has been on fire this season, scoring 15 goals in 13 games in the Saudi Pro League. He also finished as the second-top scorer in the Euro 2024 Qualifiers behind Romelu Lukaku, scoring 10 goals as his country qualified with a 100% record.

Cristiano Ronaldo could also finish as the player with the most goals scored in 2023, if he can keep up his form, overtaking the likes of Harry Kane and Erling Haaland in the process.