Al Nassr has officially unveiled Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi Arabia [Video]

Image: Arabian Business

Cristiano Ronaldo was officially unveiled on Tuesday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in front of thousands of adoring fans at Al Nassr’s Mrsool Park Stadium. He was unveiled with a first look in Al Nassr’s kit as a player, and the stadium was packed with crowd. He was introduced as ‘the world’s greatest footballer’ in front of 25,000 supporters to a backdrop of fireworks, flares and strobe lighting.

Ronaldo arrived at the stadium on Tuesday evening and was immediately taken to a press conference with Al Nassr President Musalli Al-Muammar and first-team coach Rudi Garcia. 

Image: Getty Images

He said his ambition was to inspire a future generation of players in Saudi Arabia and added that he had offers from Europe, South America and the US but chose Saudi Arabia.

Cristiano Ronaldo said: 

“I had many opportunities in Europe, many clubs, in Brazil, in Australia, US, even in Portugal there is many clubs who tried to sign me, but I gave my word to this club.

“Not only to develop the football but other parts of the country.

“For me it’s a good challenge. I know what I want, I know what I don’t want. For me it’s a good chance to help with my knowledge and experience to grow many important points.

“I want to give a different vision of the country, of the football, of the perspective of everybody. This is why I’m here and why I took this opportunity.”

See the official unveiling ceremony below:

After the press conference, Cristiano Ronaldo headed to the changing room to meet his new teammates and get changed before heading out onto the pitch.

He was seen shaking hands with the squad after getting changed into the kit and was relaxed, laughing and joking with new colleagues.

Image: Arabian Business

The ex-Manchester United star arrived at the stadium in a crisp grey suit and answered questions before changing into Al Nassr’s distinctive yellow and blue kit.

Image: Arabian Business

Tickets for the official unveiling only went on sale the day before and were SR15 ($4), with all revenue generated donated to Ehsan, the national platform for charitable work in the Kingdom.

The CR7 effect has already had an immediate impact on Al Nassr, at least in terms of off-field activity.

Al Nassr has seen a near ten-fold increase in the number of Instagram followers it has.

Image: Arabian Business

Before the former Man Utd and Real Madrid star joined, the Saudi club had around 850,000 followers. At the time of writing, this number has rocketed to 7.9m and is increasing by the hour.

Ronaldo himself is the most followed person on the social media platform, with more than 528m followers, many of whom are now following Al Nassr as well.

Before even kicking a ball in the colours of Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo has been linked with a move to Newcastle United.

Spanish sports daily Marca is reporting that the Portugal star has a clause in his huge contract which will allow him to join Premier League side Newcastle United if they qualify for the Champions League.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF owns Newcastle United.

Here is what Matthew Amlot, Managing Editor of Arabian Business, said about the ex-Real Madrid star when looking for a correspondent to write news about Ronaldo: 

“Ronaldo is the biggest star and the biggest story on the planet.

“It is an industry of its own, and as such it deserves its own full time correspondent. His move to Saudi Arabia keeps Arab soccer firmly on the global stage, and the successful applicant will play a pivotal part in this unfolding story.”

Source: arabianbusiness.com

 

#Al Nassr FC

#Cristiano Ronaldo

#Saudi Arabia