Rude Al-Nassr about Benzema: "He became famous in Ronaldo's shadow"

In the Saudi Super Cup semifinals, Al-Nassr and Al-Ittihad saw former teammates Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema go head-to-head, and tensions flared both on and off the pitch.

After Ronaldo’s side clinched a 2-1 victory, Al-Nassr didn’t hold back on social media. On platform X, the club posted a video of a jubilant Ronaldo and a frustrated Benzema with the caption: "He became famous in his shadow. Did he really think he was the best today?"

The barb landed perfectly. For context: Ronaldo and Benzema shared the Real Madrid locker room from 2009 to 2018, appearing in 342 games together. When Ronaldo eventually left Madrid, moving through Juventus and Manchester United before landing in Saudi Arabia, Benzema stayed until 2023, racking up another Champions League trophy and the World Player of the Year award – not a bad resume.

Tuesday’s clash was intense on the pitch as well. Sadio Mane, the former Liverpool star, gave Al-Nassr an early lead in the 10th minute but was sent off just 15 minutes later. Despite playing almost the whole match a man down, Ronaldo’s team held on to win, with new winger Kingsley Coman, ex-Bayern playern, making his debut. Ronaldo played a key role, setting up Joao Felix’s decisive goal in the 25th minute after Steven Bergwijn had equalized. Benzema, meanwhile, was uninvolved in the scoring.

Mane’s goal and red card in Saudi Super Cup

Benzema has netted 38 goals in 63 games for his Saudi club, while Ronaldo has been even more prolific, scoring 93 in 106 appearances – and he has another chance for silverware this Saturday.

Al-Nassr will face either Al-Qadsiah or Al-Ahli in the Saudi Super Cup final, while the new league season kicks off a week later. Ronaldo travels to Al-Taawoun, and Benzema will start his campaign at Al-Okhdood.