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Cristiano Ronaldo protested a penalty call in his team's favour in Al-Nassr's draw against Persepolis
Cr7, as fondly called, claimed that he had not been fouled.
Chinese referee Ma Ning promptly pointed to the penalty area when Ronaldo went down in the area after a challenge early in the game.
Nevertheless, the forward took issue with the official's ruling and started gesticulating as if to say that Al-Nassr ought not to have received a penalty.
After stretching to contend for the ball in the 18-yard area, the Portuguese fell to the ground in the fourth minute, ostensibly as a result of contact from the opposing defender.
Also seeing what seemed like a foul on Ronaldo, the match's Chinese referee, Ning Ma, signaled for a penalty kick.
While the Persepolis players protested the official, Ronaldo showed his integrity by waving his hands at the referee to indicate that he did not fall out of touch.
Ronaldo could be seen mouthing the words, "No penalty."
The referee was then sent to review the incident on the pitchside monitor and ultimately changed his mind.
The penalty decision was overturned, and Ronaldo was widely praised for his actions.
"It's great honesty, and we need to see more of that," Al-Markhiya manager Anthony Hudson said on beIN Sports.
Al-Nassr's road to AFC Championship against Persepolis
Al-Nassr continues to lead their group with four victories from five games and has already advanced to the elimination stages, even though they drew goalless with Persepolis.
Al-Hilal presently leads the Saudi Pro League, with only four points separating them from second place.
Only Aleksandar Mitrovic, a former Fulham striker, has scored more than 10 goals in a league game; he has 11 in 12 matches for Al-Hilal.
Meanwhile, Ronaldo has scored 15 in just 13 games.
