E-Paper
Sign In
Ronaldo's World Cup penalty sparks 'Bismillah' speculation after viral video
Ronaldo's second-half penalty was the first time he had scored in a World Cup knockout-stage game in his glittering career
- PUBLISHED: Fri 3 Jul 2026, 4:55 PM UPDATED: Fri 3 Jul 2026, 5:11 PM
A nerve-wracking World Cup classic unfolded during the Portugal versus Croatia match in the Fifa World Cup Round of 32 on Thursday, when Cristiano Ronaldo's team battled with a drama-filled 2-1 victory—but apart from the football controversy, one short clip from the game went viral.
In the second half of the match, the Croatian team scored their first goal and Portugal was racing against time to score an equaliser to revive their hopes of qualifying to the Round of 16. For Portugal's superstar captain Ronaldo, a goal at that time would mean more than that on the personal level, as the 41-year-old player, considered by many to be the greatest of all time (GOAT) in football, plays the last World Cup in his long successful career.
Recommended For You
In the 68th minute, the referee awarded Portugal a penalty and Ronaldo was chosen to play it. The excitement then was palpable and Ronaldo stood to bring his home country back to the tournament.
Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels.
As he was thinking how to score and avoid missing a penalty at such a sensitive timing, Ronaldo was seen uttering something to himself. A clip of this incident soon went viral online amid speculations around what the Portugese star may have said to himself at that time.
Many netizens started to speculate on what Ronaldo actually said, and some thought what he said was the Arabic phrase: "Bismillah", which means "in the name of Allah". Other users thought he was saying: "bless me, bless me".
It was not crystal clear that Ronaldo, who plays for the Saudi club AlNassr, actually uttered the words which many Muslims say to ask for God's blessings ahead of doing anything, or the common prayer among European Christians or something entirely different.
Watch the viral video. What do you think he actually said?
On X, some users said the incident was highly exaggerated and urged Ronaldo fans to refrain from any further speculations. "I am a Christian and I say bismillah, alhamdulillah, kasamabinllah, astagfirullah, so what? I have lived in the UAE and got used to these sayings," one user wrote, hinting at the fact that Ronaldo lives in Saudi Arabia.
"Living abroad, working in different countries, or being around people from other backgrounds naturally leads to borrowing phrases, adjusting mannerisms, or showing basic courtesy. People in Britain often adopt local slang. Americans in Japan bow. Europeans in the Middle East say inshallah. It’s called adaptation, not conversion or betrayal. Just enjoy football, y’all," he added.
Ronaldo himself did not comment or react to the online buzz around what happened during the match. Instead, he posted a photo of himself with the national team of Portugal, saying: "We won for ourselves, for Diogo, and for Portugal!!! LET'S GO!!!!", in a tribute to late team-mate Diogo Jota, the Liverpool star who tragically died in a car crash almost a year to the day from Thursday's win, on July 3 last year.
Regardless of what Ronaldo said, he managed to score his first goal in a World Cup knockout-stage game, helping bring his team back into the contest to set up a highly-anticipated showdown with European champions Spain.
Yasmin Hussein is an Assistant Digital Editor who believes that every news story carries a human element. Her motto is 'get it first, but first get it right'.