Rugged Ronaldo! Picture of Portuguese superstar with beard goes viral, but is the facial hair a new look for 39-year-old or generated by AI?

Fans are questioning whether Cristiano Ronaldo has adopted a new look after a number of photos were circulated online.

While the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star has altered his hairstyle a number of times over the years he has almost always maintained a clean-shaven look in terms of facial hair.

That is, perhaps until now...

A pair of photos have gone viral on social media showing the 39-year-old looking completely transformed and sporting a full beard.

However, not all fans are convinced that Ronaldo's new look is genuine. One wrote: 'Looking good on him but I know this is AI generated, looks so real.

Another agreed writing: 'Isn’t that AI?'

The source of the seemingly edited images could be found on Ronaldo's Instagram in a post from last week of him training alongside his teammates.

Other fans saw the funny side, remarking that in the picture Ronaldo resembles both his international teammate Bernardo Silva, and former Manchester United star Michael Carrick.

Friday's clash between Al Nassr and Al Feiha would've served as the perfect opportunity for curious fans to get to the bottom of the matter as to whether the image had been edited. 

However, Ronaldo was absent as a Sadio Mane brace guided Al Nassr to victory at the Al-Awwal Stadium.

The 39-year-old was suspended for the Saudi Pro League clash after picking up a red card for appearing to elbow and stamp on an opponent during the Saudi Cup semi-final last week.

All hell broke loose in dying moments of game with Al-Nassr were trailing 2-0 as the Real Madrid legend saw red following a clash with Al-Hilal's Ali Al-Bulaihi near the touchline. 

Al-Bulaihi tried to prevent the Portuguese superstar from grabbing the ball to take a quick throw-in, leading to the pair to square up with the ball still out of play. 

Footage then appeared to show Ronaldo throwing an elbow in the direction of the Al-Hilal defender, sending him crashing to the floor and sparking a melee of pushing and shoving between the players, with the opposition unhappy at the challenge. 

Another clip then appeared to show Ronaldo stamping on an already downed Al-Bulaihi – but the advertising boards obstructed the view, making it unclear whether Ronaldo made contact with the player.