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Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo found himself at the centre of an online debate after a brief moment before taking a crucial penalty during his side’s dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia in the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 on Thursday.
With Portugal trailing after Croatia scored early in the second half, Ronaldo stepped up to take a decisive penalty in the 68th minute. The 41-year-old, widely regarded as one of football’s greatest players and playing what is expected to be his final World Cup, faced one of the most important moments of the match.
Just before striking the ball, television cameras captured Ronaldo quietly saying a few words to himself. The clip quickly spread across social media, prompting widespread speculation over what he had uttered.
Some users claimed Ronaldo appeared to say the Arabic phrase “Bismillah” (“In the name of God”), while others believed he was simply offering himself words of encouragement or saying a Christian prayer. The audio, however, was unclear, and there has been no confirmation of what the Portuguese star actually said.
Portuguese fans said Ronaldo appeared to have said, “Vais marcar, Vais marcar” which means, “you’ll score, you’ll score.”
Several social media users urged people not to jump to conclusions, noting that people who live or work in the Middle East often adopt common Arabic expressions regardless of their religious beliefs. Ronaldo has been based in Saudi Arabia since joining Al Nassr in 2023.
The Portugal captain did not address the speculation. Instead, after the match he celebrated the victory on social media, dedicating it to Portugal and to his late former teammate Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last year.
Ronaldo converted the penalty, helping Portugal complete the comeback and book a Round of 16 clash against Spain.
