CRISTIANO RONALDO was the victim of a brutal backhanded compliment from Iraqi midfielder Ahmed Zero.
The 20-year-old stood next to Ronaldo on Wednesday night after his side suffered a 1-0 defeat against Al Nassr in the Arab Club Champions Cup.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner converted a late penalty to secure his side a place in Saturday’s final against rivals Al Hilal.
And after the game, Zero was fortunate enough to get a photo alongside the football legend.
But, the young midfielder took the opportunity to fire a subtle dig at the former Real-Madrid star.
In a sensational move, Zero posted the selfie on his Instagram alongside the caption: “With the second best player in history”.
And this has sparked a colossal reaction from football fans on social media.
For two decades, fans have bickered over who is the ‘Greatest of All Time’.
One Twitter follower said: “He knows ball because he knows Messi is the best player”.
A second fan added: “We all agreed that Ronaldo was behind Messi in the GOAT standings”.
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A third declared: No way! What about Pele and Maradona?”.
A fourth joked: “He clearly knows ball. Only Ronaldo fans think he’s number 1”.
However, Ronaldo loyalists responded in equal measure, sparking a huge debate online.
One Ronaldo fan wrote: “Cristiano is the best football player in history. That is the truth”.
Another added: “But nobody knows who Ahmed Zero is”.
A third stated: “Begging for a picture, then trying to be funny – what a low level move”.
Last month, Ronaldo publicly declared that the Saudi Pro League is “better” than Major League Soccer, and will soon become one of the top five leagues in the world.
A number of top names have moved to Saudi Arabia this summer, including Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson.
Of course, Lionel Messi – Ronaldo’s long-time rival – instead opted to join David Beckham’s MLS side Inter Miami this summer.
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The superstar enjoyed a dream start to life in Miami scoring a last gasp free kick on his debut.
Elsewhere, Ronaldo will square off against former Madrid teammate Benzema in the final of the Arab Cup at the King Fahd Stadium on August 12.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
