Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he was wrong to make an an obscene gesture at the end of Al Nassr’s win over Al Shabab last month.
The 39-year-old made the gesture towards supporters who had chanted ‘Messi, Messi’ at him – as he cupped his ears before signalling towards his nether regions.
As a result, Ronaldo was suspended for one match by Saudi football chiefs and he has vowed to not repeat his actions but reiterated it would have gone unnoticed in Europe.
Speaking at a press conference, the former Real Madrid forward said: ‘I will always respect the cultures of all countries, as I have respected to this day, but not always what people see is reality.
‘As I said and I will say again, it is obvious that I will not do it again in this country, but in Europe, it is very normal.
Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he was wrong to make an an obscene gesture last month
Ronaldo appeared to make an obscene gesture following Al-Nassr’s win over Al-Shabab
Ronaldo’s actions came after the Al Shabab fans taunted him with Lionel Messi chants
‘Sometimes the passion and excitement of the game leads us to make some mistakes.’
Ronaldo’s suspension saw him miss Al-Nassr’s high-scoring 4-4 draw against Al-Hazm on February 29.
Al Nassr currently sit second in the Saudi Pro League table but are 12 points behind leaders Al-Hilal.
They will return to action on Monday when they take on side Al-Ain in the Asian Champions League quarter final, with the United Arab Emirates side holding a 1-0 lead from the first leg.
However, Ronaldo sent a fierce warning to Al-Ain and has set his sights on a place in the semi-finals.
The Portuguese star stated, ‘We will not spare any drop of sweat for the fans of Al Nassr. Tomorrow, remontada!’