Vinicius Jr sends ‘idol’ message to Cristiano Ronaldo after Al-Nassr superstar hits another incredible landmark with brace in Al-Hilal win

Ronaldo once again took centre stage in the Saudi Pro League as Al-Nassr edged past fierce rivals Al-Hilal in a pulsating derby clash on Friday evening. The Portuguese icon delivered two goals - one just after the interval and another late on - to guide his team to a 3-1 triumph in Riyadh. The victory narrowed the gap between Al-Nassr and second-placed Al-Hilal to just three points, igniting fresh hope in the title race.

Following his decisive display, Ronaldo took to Instagram to share his joy with his global fanbase. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner posted a series of celebratory images from the match and captioned them boldly: “RIYADH IS YELLOW AND BLUE!”

Among the thousands of fans and fellow players who engaged with the post was Real Madrid’s Brazilian star Vinicius Jr, who added a touching comment that reflected his admiration for Ronaldo. “Our very own idol!!!” wrote Vinicius, publicly acknowledging the role Ronaldo continues to play as a role model for young players around the world.

Vinicius has never hidden his appreciation for Ronaldo, and his latest comment reaffirmed the deep respect he holds for the football legend. And the Portuguese is deserving of all the praise as he hit another incredible milestone of scoring 20+ league goals in a season for the 15th time in his career, following his brace against Al-Hilal.

Whereas his incredible form in the 2024–25 campaign has taken him to 30 goals in all competitions for Al-Nassr. With the striker still hungry for more, he remains on track toward achieving his self-set goal of reaching 1,000 career goals - a target that would likely require at least two more years of consistent output at the highest level.

Al-Nassr’s next challenge comes in the form of Al-Riyadh, with the two sides set to face off on April 12. Meanwhile, across Europe, Vinicius is preparing for Real Madrid’s clash against Valencia at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening.