Only hours after Cristiano Ronaldo penned a two-year contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, crowds flocked to a soccer package retailer in Riyadh to purchase the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s new membership jersey.
Abdulmohsen al-Ayyban, 41, and his nine-year outdated son, Nayef, have been amongst these queueing at Al Nassr membership’s official package retailer on Saturday the place clerks the place busy urgent Ronaldo’s identify onto t-shirts.
“We are witnessing a historic moment,” al-Ayyban advised AFP of the deal which he believes “will elevate the Saudi football league”.
Ronaldo on Friday signed for Al Nassr till June 2025 in a deal believed to be value greater than 200 million euros.
A large smile stretched throughout Nayef’s face as he proudly held his new jersey aloft.
For the younger Saudi, a dream has come true.
“I have always wanted Al Nassr to acquire the best player in the world,” he stated. “I will make sure to watch all his games at the stadium.” Ronaldo, 37, is anticipated to look earlier than followers subsequent Thursday, an official from the Al Nassr membership advised AFP.
For Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo is the newest high-priced sporting jewel acquired so as to add lustre to their worldwide picture.
At residence, the deal additional fuelled nationwide fervour that spiked after the dominion defeated eventual winners Argentina within the early levels of the 2022 World Cup, a victory hailed as one in all best shocks within the match’s historical past.
An unprecedented rush on the Al Nassr package retailer began as quickly as stories of the deal have been leaked to the native press on Friday night time — hours earlier than the official announcement.
Abdulqader, the shop supervisor stated queues snaked all the way in which outdoors the store and have solely grown since.
T-shirt shares have almost emptied, pushing clients to herald their very own to have the participant’s identify printed on them — a course of which can take as much as two days.
“I have never seen anything like this in my life,” Abdulqader advised AFP. – Social media explosion –
Inside the shop, a festive temper prevailed, as Lebanese, Egyptian and Chinese nationals bolstered the large variety of Saudis hoping to get their Ronaldo merch.
“I have been a fan of Ronaldo since I was a child and now the Saudi club I support has bought him… my joy is doubled,” stated Saudi college pupil Mohammad al-Johni, decked out within the Al Nassr membership’s official shirt.
“I will be the first person attending his welcoming ceremony,” the 23-year-old added.
Rakan Mohammad, a 21-year outdated college pupil, echoed the thrill. “The deal confirms the value of the Al Nassr club,” he stated. “Enthusiasm and expectations are high.” On social media networks, Al Nassr’s channels noticed a serious increase. Millions of latest customers adopted the membership’s Instagram web page, bringing the full tally to just about 4 million, up from round 800,000 previous to the announcement.
“The impact of the deal has already been felt, even before Ronaldo arrives in Saudi Arabia,” Ahmed Al-Zabani, a 19-year-old Saudi college pupil advised AFP.
“The impact will continue to grow in the days to come”.
Many Saudis took to social media to reward the transfer.
“The dream has become a reality,” learn an Instagram put up by a store printing Ronaldo t-shirts within the colors of the Al Nasser staff.
The feedback rapidly flooded in with clients requesting shirts of their dimension. “A picture for the history books,” wrote one Saudi consumer on Twitter, captioning a picture of Ronaldo holding up his Al Nasser jersey.
Ronaldo heads to the Gulf after a yr that noticed him relegated to the bench for Portugal and reduce adrift by Manchester United.
United parted methods with the Portuguese star after the veteran ahead gave an explosive TV interview by which he stated he felt “betrayed” by the membership and had no respect for coach Erik ten Hag.
United terminated his contract whereas Ronaldo was with Portugal on the World Cup
RONALDO’S MEGA DEAL REVEALED
Cristiano Ronaldo has signed with Al Nassr within the Saudi Pro League for near €200 million per season, in keeping with stories.
That equates to roughly $314 million per season.
The 37-year-old penned a two-and-a-half yr taking part in contract, after which it’s believed he’ll transfer to an ambassadorial function for Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup in 2030.
Over the course of your entire deal, Ronaldo is about to make near $1.9 billion.
It’s a record-breaking contract that can make him the highest-paid sportsperson of all time.
Ronaldo was thrilled with the transfer.
“I can’t wait to discover a new football league in a different country,” he stated.
“The vision with which Al Nassr operates is very inspiring, and I am delighted to join my teammates, so that together we can help the team achieve greater success.”
The veteran hasn’t loved a terrific finish to 2022, the place he struggled for kind at Manchester United earlier than solely managing one objective on the World Cup, as Portugal have been knocked out within the Quarterfinals.
He voiced his displeasure at his former membership United in a TV interview, saying he felt “betrayed” and didn’t respect the coach Erik ten Hag.
Originally revealed as Cristiano Ronaldo has signed for Al Nassr within the Saudi Pro League
