After an acrimonious Manchester United exit, Cristiano Ronaldo has hit the Middle East goal trail, bringing the Saudi Pro League ever greater exposure. He’s desperate for yet another league title, yes, but also to start a football revolution…
Words Mark Lomas
More than 27,000 people were on their feet in Mecca, shouting “Siuuu!” at the top of their voices, as Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his fourth goal of the game in trademark fashion. Al-Nassr were 4-0 up at relegation battlers Al-Wehda, but the home side’s fans didn’t seem all that bothered that they were on the receiving end of a tonking. CR7 was the unquestionable star.
In their previous home match at the King Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium a fortnight earlier, Al-Wehda had lost 2-0 to Al-Fateh in front of a crowd of only 2,455. The holy city welcomes around a million visitors each year for Islam’s famous Hajj pilgrimage, but this time people had come to worship Ronaldo.
In bagging the 61st hat-trick of his career to put Al-Nassr in total control – plundering his 500th league goal along the way – the 38-year-old showed surprising pace to charge clear, fire home a rebound, seal a 4-0 victory, then depart with the matchball. Even in the twilight of his career, Ronaldo remains box office wherever he goes.
HRISTO AND HIGUITA
Saudi Arabia has been known to spring the odd footballing surprise over the years. At the country’s first-ever World Cup finals in 1994, Saeed Al-Owairan slalomed through Belgium’s defence to score an iconic goal and secure a shock passage to the second round. Twenty-eight years later in Qatar, the Green Falcons stunned the globe as Salem Al-Dawsari’s superb curling effort sealed a comeback victory over Lionel Messi and eventual champions Argentina in one of the group stage’s most memorable moments.
Yet the December 30, 2022 announcement that Ronaldo had signed for Al-Nassr topped the lot. Supporters were pinching themselves as Saudi marketing executives rubbed their hands together in glee – so, in truth, did Erik ten Hag following CR7’s Manchester United defenestration. One of the greatest players of all time was coming to join the Saudi Pro League. The billboards of the capital Riyadh, where Al-Nassr are based, were quickly filled with images of the Portuguese No.7 in the yellow and blue of his new club.
In Europe, critics quickly pounced on Saudi Arabia for sportswashing, and on Ronaldo for chasing the riyals - he’ll reportedly earn 800 million a season (around £175m) over the course of his two-and-a-half-year deal, making him the highest paid footballer in history. In West
