Cristiano Ronaldo “cheeky boy” meme goes viral on social media

The “cheeky boy” meme features a clip of footballer Cristiano Ronaldo that has seen various waves of viral popularity on social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok.

The original footage stems from an April 2023 LiveScore YouTube interview. During a true-or-false segment regarding his career, Ronaldo correctly asserts that he has kicked a ball faster than 100 km/h. When the interviewer initially disputes this but subsequently admits to asking the question incorrectly, Ronaldo laughs and calls him a “cheeky boy.”

While the clip appeared in memes on Instagram Reels as early as April 2023, it evolved into a specific TikTok trend in late August 2026. This newer format typically uses a bait-and-switch structure, showing an animal performing a sneaky or suggestive action before cutting to Ronaldo’s reaction. Captions in these versions often frame the animal as a person who has transformed into a pet to avoid detection.