Cristiano Ronaldo is often known for pulling something out of the hat to help his teammates win a game, but he has left fans baffled by pulling something out of his pants and chewing on it.
The 37-year-old Portugal forward was helping his country to a 3-2 win over Ghana in the FIFA World Cup when TV images showed the soccer star reaching into his pants and pulling something into his hand, before he popped it into his mouth and started chewing.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who is currently without a club after terminating his contract with Manchester United by mutual consent this week, is no stranger to hiding snacks down his pants to chew on during a game—but his actions have certainly caused a stir on social media.
Carefully look at Cristiano Ronaldo’s “Ways and Means” against Ghana Black Stars yesterday! pic.twitter.com/rPIzEvDHsJ
— Nana Kwesi Eshun (@_NanaCwesi_) November 25, 2022
Twitter was awash with people sharing their opinions on what CR7 was chewing, with one Twitter user adamant they knew what it was: "Ronaldo is chewing tobacco."
Another felt that FIFA should step in and look into what the soccer star was up to. They tweeted: "Ronaldo must be investigated. What did he pull out from his shorts?"
A third person wanted to know about the 'trick', asking on Twitter: "This is why I love Ronaldo so much. Can't tell you how many hours I have spent in figuring out how to keep a snack in football shorts which have no pockets. I need to learn this secret so bad."
The bemusement continued on social media, with one person tweeting: "I call it the Ronaldo Puzzle - 'What is he pulling out of his shorts to eat?'"
While another just asked straight: "What was #ronaldo eating from his shorts? #ghanavsportugal"
As it turns out, there seems a simple answer to what the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was doing.
The Portuguese Football Association told The Athletic that Cristiano Ronaldo was pulling out gum from his pants to chew on, with the clip going viral on Friday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the win over Ghana, making him the first person to find the back of the net in five World Cup tournaments. After the match, he said that the win was important, as well as shutting down talk about his own future.
He arrived at the World Cup under a cloud after giving an explosive interview to Piers Morgan, in which he slated coaching staff and senior executives at Manchester United.
The former Real Madrid and Juventus man said that there is only concentrating on playing for Portugal: "It is important we won.
"It was a week that finished this chapter [leaving Manchester United]. It is closed and now I want to start with the good foot. We started here, we won. I want to help my team and all the rest of the squad."
He added: "This was a beautiful moment—my fifth World Cup. It is very important to win. We know in these competitions, the first match is crucial. But, also, the world record, the only player to score in five World Cups makes me very proud. The team made a good result in a tough game."
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