Why Kohli lashed out at Cristiano Ronaldo critics after his Riyadh show? 'Football experts are quiet now'

A top attraction unfolded at the King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia on Thursday (19) when Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) took on Riyadh XI. A 10-man PSG defeated Riyadh XI 5-4 in a thrilling encounter but it was Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo who stole the show by scoring two goals in the first half. Ronaldo, who is set to make his Saudi Pro league debut for Al Nassr on Sunday (22) after inking a potential $200 million deal, captained the Saudi Season Team against a star-studded PSG side featuring the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe who played in the final of the FIFA World Cup last month.

Cristiano Ronaldo of Riyadh XI looks on during the Winter Tour 2023 friendly between Paris Saint-Germain and Riyadh XI at King Fahd International Stadium on January 19, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)

The 38-year-old star was adjudged the man of the match and received a lot of praise and among them was India cricketer Virat Kohli who even slammed the Portuguese star's critics.

The ace batter uploaded a picture of Ronaldo on his Instagram account and wrote, "Still doing it at the highest level at 38. The football experts sitting and criticising him every week for attention are conveniently quiet now that he's put in this kind of performance against one of the top clubs in the world. And he was apparently finished."

Kohli, who is known to be a big fan of Ronaldo and has praised him on a number of occasions, is currently playing a one-day international series for India against New Zealand at home.