Cristiano Ronaldo joins Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia. Tens of thousands of fans are expected at the opening ceremony on Tuesday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s new club wants to celebrate the soccer star’s arrival in Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday evening (local time), the Al-Nassr club will hold a “welcoming ceremony for the best player in the world” at Msool Park, the club announced on Twitter on Monday. According to media reports, tens of thousands of fans are expected. The Portuguese arrived in the Saudi capital Riyadh just before midnight (local time) on Monday.
Al-Riyadh newspaper posted a video on Twitter showing the 37-year-old descending the red steps of a private jet. Earlier, the Saudi Arabian-funded news channel Al-Arabiya also circulated a video showing Ronaldo and his family on the plane. “Hi guys, see you soon,” says Ronaldo cheerfully on camera.
After an inglorious departure from Manchester United and a reserve role for Portugal at the World Cup in Qatar, the last five-time world footballer without a club moved on to the B league in Saudi Arabia. In the future he will play in a country repeatedly criticized internationally for human rights violations.
According to media reports, Ronaldo is expected to get the equivalent of around €200m per season, including advertising revenue. He signed for two and a half years.
(APA/dpa)
