Cristiano Ronaldo has conquered football, dabbled in acting (kind of), and now, apparently, he’s decided to kick people in the face, with a ball. The global football superstar is making his way into Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves, joining the likes of Street Fighter’s Ken and Chun-Li. While those two are actual martial artists, Ronaldo… well, he’s really good at kicking. So, naturally, SNK thought, “You know what this fighting game needs? A man with a glowing football.”

When Ronaldo first teased his inclusion on Twitter, the clip showed him surrounded by only male fighters from Fatal Fury. Coincidence? Probably not. It looks like SNK is playing it safe because, let’s be real, nobody wants to see an international sports icon roundhouse-kicking Mai Shiranui in the face. But let’s not kid ourselves; once the game launches, he’ll be nutmegging B. Jenet into oblivion like everyone else.

Then came the official gameplay trailer, and boy, does it deliver. If you were expecting a grounded, Rival Schools-style footballer, too bad– Cristiano Ronaldo fights like Amakusa from Samurai Shodown or Menat from Street Fighter, except instead of floating a magic orb around, he’s using his feet to hurl an energy-infused football at people’s heads.

At this point, we’ve seen plenty of weird fighting game guest characters, Freddy Krueger, Negan, even Noctis in Tekken– but a football player? We’re dangerously close to Shaq Fu territory here. The difference? SNK actually knows how to make a good fighting game.

Cristiano Ronaldo official Gameplay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-ABEy2ZFbU

So… How Does Cristiano Ronaldo Fight?

You might be wondering, “Does he actually punch people?” Nope. Instead, Ronaldo does what he does best, kick things really, really hard. Except this time, instead of scoring goals, he’s breaking bones.

Here’s what he’s bringing to the fight:

• Superpowered Football Kicks – Imagine getting hit by a glowing blue football moving at the speed of regret. That’s what his special attacks feel like.

• Acrobatic Dodging – Years of dodging defenders on the pitch have paid off, he sidesteps, spins, and evades like he’s trying to get past five defenders at once.

• GOAT Mode (Yes, Seriously.) – He literally summons a golden goat, charges up, and unleashes the mother of all power shots. Because why not?

• Siuuu Taunt – If you thought getting beaten up by him was bad, imagine him doing his signature “SIIUUU” celebration mid-fight. Yep, that’s a thing.

Twitter Announcement

Big news to share with everyone today!
I'm going to be a character in the new fighting game FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves! @FATALFURY_PR
Let's have some fun on April 24th!  
https://t.co/XaIqKFHUIG #SNK #FatalFury #CR7 #AD pic.twitter.com/UX0PhYKKNP

— Cristiano Ronaldo (@Cristiano) March 26, 2025

His Look: Way Better Than That Botched Statue

SNK didn’t just drop a copy-paste version of Ronaldo into the game, they went full CGI anime mode. And honestly? It looks better than some of his real-life statues.

Remember that infamous bronze disaster at Madeira Airport that looked like a cursed wax figure? Yeah, this is a massive upgrade. His facial features are stylized just enough to fit into Fatal Fury’s world, while still being recognizably CR7. If nothing else, at least his CGI version won’t haunt your dreams.

SNK Dodged the Celebrity Voice Acting Curse

Remember when Mortal Kombat 11 let Dimitri Vegas voice Sub-Zero, making him sound like he was reading a grocery list? Or when Mortal Kombat 1 gave us Megan Fox as Nitara, proving that even vampires can sound bored out of their minds? Yeah, SNK wasn’t about to let that disaster happen here.

Instead of making Cristiano Ronaldo voice himself (which could’ve been hilarious for all the wrong reasons), they got Juan Felipe Sierra for English and Masaaki Mizunaka for Japanese. So, no monotone line deliveries, no awkwardly read scripts, just proper voice acting like a fighting game should have.

Love It or Hate It, He’s Here

Ronaldo in a fighting game is either the most brilliant or the most ridiculous thing SNK has ever done– possibly both at the same time. Whether he turns out OP, meme-tier, or just plain weird, one thing’s for sure: you’re either dodging footballs or kicking them at people.

And hey, if you hate this addition, just make him your punching bag. If you love it, SIIUUU your way to victory. Either way, he’s in the game, and we all just have to deal with it.