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The deeply personal moment of Cristiano Ronaldo’s maximum concentration was captured by a camera close-up and broadcast live to billions around the world seconds before taking the decisive penalty in Portugal’s 2-1 dramatic victory over Croatia on Friday.
Yet it was his whisper to himself that ignited a worldwide debate on social media as to what exactly he said.
Social media users across the Arabic-speaking world erupted in cheers on Friday, proclaiming that he whispered “Bismillah” twice.
Meanwhile in Portugal, the nation held its breath for those endless seconds that decide in an instant between a hero and a villain. The debate appears to be divided between “vamos lá” (“come on”) and “vais marcar” (“you will score”).
“Bismillah,” or “In the Name of God,” is used across the Arabic-speaking and Muslim-majority world as an invocation for God’s help, guidance or blessing before taking any action, in hopes of good outcomes.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Saudi Professional League in 2022 to play for Al Nassr, much to the delight of the entire Arab world, and it was this crucial moment that captured their imagination with multiple social media videos showing men freezing in front of their TVs for a second and then erupting both in disbelief and in celebration to exclaim that “Ronaldo said Bismillah”.
The Arabic-language media across the Gulf and beyond joined the deciphering movement by cautiously – or shyly – front-paging the unexpected, but the much-desired: that the global superstar may have indeed whispered “Bismillah” as a striking routine, signalling that the moment has now indeed arrived to consider CR7 not just Portugal’s champion and captain, but also a legend of the Arabic world.
The debate inevitably galvanised staff at Euronews’ Doha and Dubai bureaus and its Arabic service in analysing the moment, all of which converge on the conclusion that Cristiano Ronaldo did whisper “Bismillah”.
Our journalists also raised the crucial point that Cristiano Ronaldo has said “Bismillah” many times before while playing in the Saudi league for pre-strike inspiration, and that this may be the first time the champion’s intimate self-encouragement moment plays out on the global stage – and to global sensation.
In the social media arena, one user from Saudi Arabia exclaimed: “so moving how Cristiano Ronaldo has been influenced by Islamic culture since arriving in Saudi Arabia! And even more impactful how he repeated the phrase (Bismillah) in a moment of focus to score the goal.”
Another user from Pakistan explained that “Ronaldo recites Bismillah before every penalty kick. He once said in an interview: whenever I say Bismillah, I score a goal.”
As the intense debate raged on, another social media user countered that “Ronaldo isn’t saying Bismillah. He’s saying ‘vais marcar’. Basically telling himself ‘you’re going to score.’ His accent would make him pronounce it ‘bais marcar’ which looks a lot like Bismillah.”
Portugal’s and also Al Nassr’s captain has not yet shed light on the debate, focusing instead on greeting the Portuguese fans gathered outside the team’s hotel after the match to celebrate with them Portugal’s advance to the quarter-final stages, largely thanks to that quiet moment of inspiration that decided the qualifier and silenced his critics.