A debate has erupted on social media over whether Cristiano Ronaldo said ‘Bismillah’ before taking a crucial penalty against Croatia. Fans are divided on whether this is the effect of living in Saudi Arabia or whether he motivated himself in Portuguese.
Lisbon: Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo was caught on camera saying something just before taking a crucial penalty kick against Croatia. Now what he said has sparked a strong debate in the football world. This incident happened in the match held on Friday, in which Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1. Before this match-deciding penalty, Ronaldo was in complete focus and millions of people were watching him on TV.
Meanwhile, when the camera zoomed in on his face, fans noticed that Ronaldo was mumbling something from his lips. Social media users claim that Ronaldo said ‘Bismillah’ (in the name of Allah) twice. This is an Arabic word which followers of Islam use to take the name of God before doing any good deed. One theory is that due to living in Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo has been influenced by the culture there.
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The debate among fans is whether this is the effect of living in Saudi Arabia or whether Ronaldo was motivating himself in Portuguese. Portuguese fans have a different argument on this. He says that in that pressure moment, Ronaldo was motivating himself in Portuguese.
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According to him, Ronaldo was saying ‘vais marcar’, which means ‘you will score’. They also say that in Ronaldo’s local accent, this word is pronounced like ‘bais marcar’. When seen from a distance it may look like ‘Bismillah’. Many people are supporting this opinion on social media.
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However, amidst these discussions, Cristiano Ronaldo has not yet clarified anything about what he actually said. After the match, he was busy celebrating the victory and reaching the quarter-finals with the Portuguese fans gathered outside the hotel.