Cristiano Ronaldo has addressed the incident where he was suspended for a Saudi Pro League game due to an obscene gesture, referring to it as a “misunderstanding.”
He also acknowledged his continuous efforts to improve himself, stating, “Every day I try to be a better man.”
The Al Nassr and Portugal captain received a one-match ban from the Saudi Arabia Football Federation for allegedly provoking rival fans with a gesture after his team’s 3-2 league victory over Riyadh rival Al Shabab on Feb. 25.
Ronaldo, aged 39, served the suspension by missing his team’s subsequent league match, a 4-4 draw with Al Hazm.
“I take this opportunity to talk about the case in which I was punished for a game,” Ronaldo said in a news conference.
“What I did was a misunderstanding. I will always respect the cultures of all countries, but what people see is not always reality.”
This wasn’t the first instance in which the former Real Madrid star has been riled up in Saudi Arabia after being taunted by rival fans chanting Lionel Messi’s name.
“Sometimes the passion of the game leads us to make some mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes,” Ronaldo said. “Whenever I make them, I don’t do it on purpose. Every day I try to be a better man.”
Asked if he could improve his behaviour, Ronaldo said: “I can’t promise because I’m a human being. Nobody is perfect. Life is made of mistakes.
“What I can promise is that I am a player who gives everything on the field, a player with passion, a player who always wants to win. I’m a player who doesn’t like to see people doing unsportsmanlike things … I am happy to be in Saudi Arabia and happy to represent Al Nassr.”