A hot Saudi Pro League match between Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad at night on Friday provided Sadio Mane and his team with much more than a clear 3-1 victory. As Al-Nassr was celebrating the win that cost the Al-Ittihad coach, Laurent Blanc his job, a short off-the-ball incident between N’Golo Kante and Cristiano Ronaldo took the back-seat.
Video footage of this game depicts Ronaldo, as usual, forming a line up to meet his opponents. However, as the Portuguese super star made a friendly approach to Kante, the French midfielder did not even look at him. The perceivedly informal act of snubbing immediately spread to the media, sparking fun-filled conversation (in the social networks).
Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok were overwhelmed with fan responses that were equal parts shock and amusement. Others praised Kante’s trademark humility and concentration, indicating that he was merely in game mode.
Other people jokingly noted that the ice-cold reaction of the World Cup winner best suited his quiet, untroubled personality. Ronaldo with the face and Kante with the composed attitude were popular as memes, and long after the final whistle, the moment remained popular.
Neither of the players has mentioned the incident publicly and according to many observers, the snub was accidental. Nevertheless, the video throws light on the debate about big-ticket players in the Saudi league, where foreign superstars such as Ronaldo, Mane and Kante attract astronomical amounts of attention in isolated areas worldwide.
In the case of Al-Nassr, it was a high ending to the night as the victory made the club secure its title ambitions. To social media consumers, though, the low-key gesture by Kante served as the most significant point of conversation–evidence that sometimes a gesture can make more impact than even a star-studded game.
