Old rivalries do not seem to leave Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese captain is having some golden moments in the Saudi Pro League but is also dealing with some stern mental challenges. After dropping the league title, Al Nassr heads for the King’s Cup as they face Al Hilal in the final. However, despite Neymar’s absence, another teammate is putting pressure on the Al Nassr captain with a recent heads-up before the clash. 

Ronaldo has a low-key yet major tug-of-war in the Saudi Pro League. And it isn’t with the former Barcelona star but with Al Hilal goalkeeper Yassine Bounou aka Bono. Recent talks suggest that he is eager to lock horns with the season’s top scorer. According to an Al Nassr news page on X (previously Twitter), Bono said, “God willing, I will confront Cristiano Ronaldo in the final.” Both the players are friends away from the game but for winning, there’s no backing down.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Bono’s rivalry goes back to La Liga and international matches. And now, it has come alive in Saudi. Al Nassr has found a major threat in Jorge Jesus’ team all through the season. Except for the Arab Cup win, Luis Castro‘s men haven’t beaten their Riyadh rivals in a single game this time. Consequently, Al Hilal ran away with both the SPL and the Saudi Super Cup leaving only one the King’s Cup for Cristiano Ronaldo to aim for.

Meanwhile, the most successful club in Asia proved why they can be so dangerous. They faced an early blow with marquee player Neymar ruled out for the entire season due to an ACL injury. However, the rest of the signings including Bono and especially Aleksandar Mitrovic in the attack compensated for their teammate’s loss. But what makes Bono’s challenge to Ronaldo interesting?

Cristiano Ronaldo’s battle with Bono revealed

The low-profile feud between Cristiano Ronaldo and Bono exists from CR7’s Real Madrid days. Bono still remembers the 4 goals Ronaldo scored against him at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2018 when playing for Girona. Bono even listed the Portuguese captain as one of his tough opponents. However, a slight spark may have been fuelled by Ronaldo’s son’s words to Bono who said, “Bono…we will see when he scores goals against you!,” to which the Moroccan goalkeeper replied “Yes! We must meet one day,” with confidence from his later success against Ronaldo.

Moreover, one of the biggest disappointments of Ronaldo’s career came against Bono’s team in the quarterfinal of the 2022 World Cup. Morocco knocked Portugal out destroying the 5-time Ballon d’Or winner’s chances last time. However, it’s all revenge for Ronaldo this time in the final on the 31st.

Can the 39-year-old win it for the team in yellow? Let us know in the comments.