The first season of Cristiano Ronaldo in football Saudi Arabia He hasn’t unleashed the passions everyone expected, but the road paved by the Portuguese could serve for the arrival of other superstars in the country. From fireworks and euphoria when the five-time Ballon d’Or arrived some apathy At the end of this season, this has been CR7’s journey in just a few months. It was epitomized by his last match of the season, against Al Fateh on Wednesday, which the Al Nassr player was left on the substitutes’ bench with a physical problem.
After hiring Cristiano Ronaldo For two and a half seasons and with a contract worth – according to unconfirmed information – 400 million dollars, Al Nassr finished second in the Saudi league, without a trophy but with the consolation of qualifying for the Asian Champions Cup. AND the Portuguese only scored 14 goals, 5 of which were from penalties.
“I am happy here and I will continue here”assured Cristiano Ronaldo this Thursday in an interview with Saudi Pro League. Thus, he eliminated the rumors that pointed to a possible transfer to the newcastleSaudi-owned English club that will play next season in the Champions League.
Despite the sporting results, the arrival of the 38-year-old player, former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus, remains a major marketing operation for Saudi footballwhich wants to make a big leap on the international scene, also trying to be considered an attractive destination for foreign investors and tourists.
According to various media, the seven-time Golden Ball Lionel Messiactually inside Paris Saint-Germain and which led Argentina to its third world title in December, he would receive a pharaonic offering to also land in the kingdom. And, since Tuesday, the Spanish press has been talking about an offer from Al-Ittihad to the French striker of Real Madrid, Karim Benzema -the striker said this Thursday that he has another year of contract which he will respect-.
The immense resources of the Saudi public investment fund could allow for this. They already fund the dissident golf league I live and allowed the takeover of the English club Newcastle United, which will play in the Champions League next season.
Saudi Arabia also dreams of hosting the World Cup in the future, following the lead of neighboring Qatar and eventually teaming up with Egypt and Greece in a joint bid.
The other face
Efforts by Saudi authorities to carve out a place in the sports world are often held up as an attempt to disguise the country’s human rights record. Last year, 81 people were executed on the same day and homosexuality continues to be persecuted.
The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the premises of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul in 2018 sparked a wave of international outrage.
The CR7 effect
Cristiano Ronaldo has made very few public statements since his arrival in Riyadh accompanied by his partner, Georgina Rodríguez, a popular influencers who has 49.5 million subscribers on her Instagram account.
“Gradually, I think this championship will be one of the top five in the world,” insists Cristiano Ronaldo.
The arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has put the spotlight on the Saudi championship. The number of people following Al Nassr on Twitter rose from 800,000 to 4 million and on Instagram from 2 million to over 14 million.
Fans, who were banned from stadiums just a few years ago, are now regularly in the stands and Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence has attracted a familiar crowd.But a sector of the fans complains, yes, about the performance of Cristiano Ronaldo, from which they expected more.
After Al Nassr’s draw against lowly Al Khaleej two weeks ago, Mubarak Al Shehri, a fan, was outraged by “the ugly and incomprehensible performance” of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Another fan, Ibrahim Al Suwailem, questioned the decision to sign him: “Cristiano Ronaldo alone is not enough. Is he worth that much money? It’s for publicity, but the fans want to win championships.”
Source: AFP
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.