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Cristiano Ronaldo waves to fans after arriving in Riyadh ahead of his official introduction as an Al Nassr player. Photo: Handout

Ronaldo’s Saudi move tipped to increase eyes on Asian football, new club gets 2.5 million new followers on social media

  • Instagram surge follows announcement that Portuguese star was joining Al Nassr
  • Ronaldo to be introduced to fans at club’s stadium in special ceremony on Tuesday

When Cristiano Ronaldo is presented by Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on Tuesday in Riyadh it could spark a new era in Asian football, with the kingdom’s sports minister hinting at the arrival of more big stars.

The Portuguese superstar arrived in Riyadh late on Monday, ahead of his grand unveiling before thousands of fans at the club’s 25,000-seater Mrsool Park stadium on Tuesday.

Al Nassr are expecting a full stadium for the unveiling, according to one official who did not want to be named because he was not authorised to speak to media.

Here’s everything you need to know about Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club Al Nassr

Ronaldo is by far the biggest star to play in Saudi Arabia, although other heavyweights including George Weah, Pep Guardiola and Xavi also had stints in the wealthy Gulf in the twilight of their careers.

But his arrival has already had an impact on the club’s social media presence, with the post announcing his signing on Friday viewed more than 20 million times, while the club gained about 2.5 million more followers.

There was a similar surge on Instagram, where the Portuguese star has more than 520 million followers, the most in the world. There, the announcement received more than 30 million likes.

“This agreement is more than writing a new historical chapter,” Musalli Al Muammar, the Al Nassr president, said. He will present Ronaldo at the club stadium on Tuesday.

In a tweet, Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal pledged to “support the rest of our clubs for quality deals with international stars soon”.

A vehicle passes under a billboard showing Cristiano Ronaldo with Arabic wording which reads, Welcome Ronaldo, in Riyadh. Photo: AP

Ronaldo has won five Champions League titles with Real Madrid and Manchester United, but his controversial second tenure at the English club ended after 15 months in acrimony.

New coach Rudy Garcia has welcomed the free agent who has Al Nassr dreaming of a first Asian title.

“The signing of a player the size of Cristiano Ronaldo is extraordinary, and contributes to the development of Saudi football,” said the Frenchman, who has coached Lyon and Roma. “We are happy with his arrival. The first goal is to work so he can adapt to our team, to enjoy playing for Al Nassr, and to entertain the fans.”

Al Nassr, who have won their domestic league nine times, are already going well near the halfway stage of the Saudi Professional League. They moved into the lead on Saturday after winning 1-0 at Al Khaleej, thanks to Cameroonian striker Vincent Aboubaker.

Other names at the club include Colombia goalkeeper David Ospina, formerly of Arsenal and Napoli, and 2018 South American player of the year Pity Martinez. Brazilian Anderson Talisca leads the goal-scoring charts.

Despite such talent, the league does not have a wide audience internationally. That may change thanks to Ronaldo, who will reportedly earn up to US$200 million a year.

“The whole world knows Ronaldo very well and his achievements as a player speak for themselves,” former Saudi Arabia international Hamad Al-Montashari said. “He is an exceptional player and could score a hat trick in every game.”

Had the soon-to-be-38-year-old superstar left Europe five years ago, then China would have been a realistic destination. The massive wave of spending there in the previous decade has ended, however.

With real estate companies financing much of the transfer activity, the massive slowdown in China’s property market has seen the majority of clubs struggling to make ends meet.

Guangzhou won eight Chinese and two Asian titles in the previous decade, but with owner Evergrande facing reported debts of US$300 billion in June 2022, the club was reduced to fielding a team made up of youngsters. Relegation was the result in December.

On Friday, the same day the Ronaldo deal was announced in Riyadh, Wuhan Three Towns were handed the Chinese Super League title early because Tianjin Tigers were unable to field a team of 11 players because of Covid. In terms of Asian football news, it was overshadowed.
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