Jorge Jesus believes Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest loss of discipline is due to the fact he “is not used to losing”.
Jesus’ Al Hilal beat Ronaldo’s Al Nassr 2-1 in the semi-finals of the Saudi Arabian Super Cup last night but the match was overshadowed by a late incident which saw Ronaldo sent off for a clash with opposing defender Ali Al-Bulaihi.
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After being shown the red card, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star appeared to draw back his arm as if to threaten a punch at referee Mohammed Al-Hoaish before leaving the field.
Ronaldo was already on a yellow card after showing dissent to Al-Hoaish earlier in the game.
Fellow Portuguese Jesus, whose Al Hilal side will play Al Ittihad in the final, was not ready to criticise Ronaldo, though.
He said: “It’s not easy to play against [Kalidou] Koulibaly and [Ali Al] Bulayhi, they are the best centre-halves in Saudi football.
“I will not take credit from Ronaldo, he is still very strong, he always has been and will continue to be the most important player in the world, he is an example and a role model.
“Cristiano is not used to losing games, so, of course, he misses this mental and emotional aspect in the games in which he loses.”
It’s not the first time this season Ronaldo has lost his cool. The 39-year-old was suspended by the Saudi Football Federation for one game in February for making an obscene gesture at Al Shabab fans after they chanted the name of Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s generational rival.
