Robust Ronaldo! Photo of a Portuguese superstar with a beard goes viral, but is facial hair a new look for a 39-year-old or is it generated by AI?
- A photo of Cristiano Ronaldo sporting a beard has gone viral on social media
- Fans are wondering whether or not the image was digitally altered.
- If Erik ten Hag wins the FA Cup with Man United, does he deserve to keep his job? Listen to the It’s All Kicking Off podcast
Fans are wondering if Cristiano Ronaldo has adopted a new look after a number of photos surfaced online.
Even though the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star has changed his hairstyle several times over the years, he has almost always maintained a clean-shaven appearance in terms of facial hair.
In other words, maybe until now…
Two photos have gone viral on social media, showing the 39-year-old completely transformed and sporting a full beard.
However, not all fans are convinced that Ronaldo’s new look is authentic. One wrote: “It looks good, but I know it’s AI generated, it looks so real.”
Photos of Cristiano Ronaldo sporting a thick beard have gone viral on social media.
Some fans noticed that the photos were remarkably similar to those posted on Ronaldo’s Instagram.
Another wrote agreed: “Isn’t this AI?
The source of the apparently edited images could be found on Ronaldo’s Instagram in a post from last week showing him training alongside his teammates.
Other fans saw the funny side, noticing that in the photo, Ronaldo looks like both his international teammate Bernardo Silva and former Manchester United star Michael Carrick.
Friday’s clash between Al Nassr and Al Feiha would have been the perfect opportunity for curious fans to get to the bottom of it and find out whether the image had been photoshopped.
However, Ronaldo was absent as a double from Sadio Mané guided Al Nassr to victory at the Al-Awwal Stadium.
The 39-year-old was suspended for the Saudi Pro League clash after receiving a red card for appearing to elbow and stomp on an opponent during last week’s Saudi Cup semi-final .
All hell broke loose in the final moments of the match as Al-Nassr trailed 2-0 as the Real Madrid legend saw red after a clash with Al-Hilal’s Ali Al-Bulaihi near the sideline.
Ronaldo was absent on Friday as Sadio Mané scored a brace in Al Nassr’s win over Al Feiha.
The 39-year-old was serving a suspension after being sent off during the club’s Saudi Cup defeat to Ali Al-Bulaihi.
Al-Bulaihi tried to stop the Portuguese superstar from grabbing the ball to take a quick throw-in, leading to the two men clashing with the ball still out of play.
Footage then appeared to show Ronaldo throwing an elbow towards the Al-Hilal defender, sending him crashing to the ground and sparking a shoving melee between the players, with the opposition unhappy with the challenge.
Another clip then emerged showing Ronaldo stomping on an already downed Al-Bulaihi – but the billboards obstructed the view, making it unclear whether Ronaldo had made contact with the player.
