Cristiano Ronaldo joined Saudi Pro League table-toppers Al-Nassr at the start of the January transfer window and has given a first peek of his new life away from the pitch
Cristiano Ronaldo and his family have given a first glimpse of their life in Saudi Arabia since he made the mega-money move to Al-Nassr.
The superstar attacker joined the Saudi Pro League table-toppers at the start of the January transfer window after having his contract terminated by Manchester United. Ronaldo is still yet to make his debut for his new club due to a Football Association ban being carried over.
But that has not stopped him from experiencing the country where he will be based for at least the next two years. The 37-year-old has already moved to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and trained with his new team-mates.
Away from the day job, he and his family have visited the Winter Wonderland theme park in the capital. Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, posted photos of the visit on their Instagram accounts.
The superstar posted an image of himself with Rodriguez and four of his children in front of one of the attractions, as well as a separate one of himself with Rodriguez at what appeared to be a water show. He captioned the post: “Quality time with my loves.”
It is the first post Ronaldo has shared of his family out and about since he arrived in Saudi Arabia, with his other social media updates being from training sessions. Winter Wonderland is based in the King Abdullah Financial District and is part of a festival held every year.
When he arrived at Al-Nassr, Ronaldo insisted he was excited to join, despite the Saudi Pro League’s lesser reputation to the great divisions he has previously graced, including the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A.
“In Europe, my work is done. I won everything. I played for the most important clubs in Europe. For me now, it’s a new challenge. For me, this is a great opportunity, not only in football, but also to change the mentality of the new generation,” Ronaldo said.
“I had many opportunities in Europe, many clubs in Brazil, in Australia, in USA and even in Portugal. They tried to sign me but I gave my word to this club to develop not only the football but other parts of this amazing country.
“I know what I want, this is a good chance to help to grow many important points. I really don’t worry about what people say, I am really, really happy to be here. I know the league is very competitive, I saw many games.
“I’m ready to keep playing football. I’m a unique player, it’s good to come here. I beat all the records there, I want to beat a few records here. This contract is unique but I’m a unique player, so for me it’s normal.”
Ronaldo is set to finally make his debut for Al-Nassr on Saturday when they host Ettifaq. Rudi Garcia’s men are top of the Saudi Pro League, one point clear of second place Al-Hilal, though they have played a game less.
Cristiano Ronaldo handed special treatment for Saudi All-Stars clash against Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first match in Saudi Arabia will be to captain a team comprised of both Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal players against Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday
Cristiano Ronaldo is set to captain an all-star team comprised of Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal players in this week’s friendly against Paris Saint-Germain in Saudi Arabia.
Ronaldo completed a stunning move to the Saudi Arabian club earlier this month and is expected to earn in the region of £173million per year. The deal comes after Ronaldo ended his relationship with United by mutual consent in November following a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
With no other offers on the table, Ronaldo made the switch to the Middle East club and will make his ‘debut’ on Thursday, as part of an all-star game against PSG. Al-Nassr’s city rivals Al-Hilal began selling shirts with Messi’s name in reaction to the deal, but the two are now set to line up against each other in the Riyadh friendly.
Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal are the two biggest clubs in Saudi Arabian football and are traditionally fierce rivals in the capital city of the nation. They are currently the top two teams in the Saudi Pro League, with Al-Nassr leading the way.
Indeed, Ronaldo’s new club have scored the most goals (27) and conceded the fewest goals (six) from their 13 league matches, with just one defeat so far. They lead Al-Hilal, who have played a game more, in the league standings.
Ronaldo is set to captain an all-star Saudi XI vs PSG
The two sides will combine in a one-off match that will act as Ronaldo’s debut game as they take on PSG. The Ligue 1 champions are set to name a strong team for the club with Lionel Messi likely to play in the clash – his first meeting against Ronaldo since 2020, when they clashed in the Champions League group stages when Barcelona played Juventus.
Turki Al-Sheikh, Saudi Arabia’s current chairman of the general authority for entertainment, has tweeted hinting that Ronaldo will captain the Saudi-based XI for the match, alongside a video of Ronaldo putting on a captain’s armband.
Ronaldo has been criticised in some quarters for choosing to end his career in Saudi Arabia. Former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher compared him negatively with Messi, following the Argentine’s World Cup win.
“In some ways, it’s a sad end for him, Carragher told Sky Sports. “Two of the greatest players in Messi and Ronaldo – Ronaldo has finished his career during an interview with Piers Morgan and Messi has won the World Cup. It’s not the best way to go out.”
Source: mirror.co.uk; mirror.co.uk
