Cristiano Ronaldo appeals against making obscene gestures towards fans chanting Lionel Messi's name after Al-Nassr defeat

Cristiano Ronaldo has once again found himself in the midst of controversy after he appeared to make an obscene gesture towards the fans who chanted Lionel Messi’s name as he made his way out of the field.

This happened in the aftermath of Al-Nassr’s 2-0 defeat to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, a result that dented the side’s chances of the league title.

In a video which has gone viral on social media, a section of the fans are seen chanting Messi’s name to taunt Ronaldo, who had a frustrating time on the pitch and was upset about the result.

Ronaldo’s subsequent action came as a shock to fans and it sparked a lot of outrage.

The Al-Nassr star appeared to grab his crotch and move his genitals as he faced the fans, who chanted Messi’s name, as he was leaving the pitch.

The clip of this gesture which fans by the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has gone viral on social media with him receiving a backlash from the fans. According to several reports, Al-Nassr issued a statement claiming that Ronaldo was suffering from a groin injury, which led him to make that gesture.

Earlier in the match, Ronaldo also pulled off a WWE-style headlock on a rival player and was shown a yellow card.

With the defeat to Al-Hilal, Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr now have a three-point gap with leaders Al-Ittihad. Al-Nassr earlier dismissed Rudi Garcia from his role as head coach and appointed Dinko Jelicic for the role.