So what is life like for the Portuguese striker’s family in the Gulf country?
Ronaldo is happy
At the end of the 2022 World Cup, striker Cristiano Ronaldo officially joined Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr Club. Experts say that this is a step back in the Portuguese striker’s career.
In return, he receives a salary of up to 175 million pounds/year, the highest in the football world . Ronaldo also brought his whole family to the Gulf country to settle, but not much information about his life has been revealed.
Cristiano Ronaldo brings many benefits to Saudi Arabia. Photo: Al Nassr
According to Houseofsaud, when they first arrived in Saudi Arabia, the former MU striker’s family was still staying at a luxury hotel in Riyadh for an eye-watering price of 250,000 pounds per month.
Notably, he rented up to 17 adjacent rooms to create a mini complex with all the amenities for life such as: gym, rehabilitation room, karaoke room, esports room, reading room, etc. sport room…
However, he was quickly provided with a villa by Al Nassr Club in Al Muhammadiyah Area, a place where many wealthy people gather, mostly from the West.
This is understandable because CR7 does not want his life to be scrutinized or disturbed while Al Muhammadiyah is strictly protected and is almost not subject to special laws in Saudi Arabia.
Typically, residents can use alcohol – a drink that is banned in this Muslim country or women do not have to cover their faces when going out.
Marca newspaper describes that the villa is worth more than 10 million pounds, has 8 bedrooms, full amenities, an oversized swimming pool and a beautiful lobby with a waterfall.
Meanwhile, Athletic newspaper said that all of Ronaldo’s activities in Saudi Arabia are taken care of by the authorities and guaranteed to be safe. Recently, when he wanted to go shopping, a shopping center in Riyadh had to close just so he could visit and experience it.
Sergio Piernas, former assistant head coach of Saudi Arabia’s U23 team, said: “With so much influence, Ronaldo is forced to accept living in a bubble, otherwise trouble can strike at any time.” .
Dailymail revealed that Portuguese players often meet, dine or attend events with members of the Saudi Royal Family. Most recently, he and Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, Minister of Sports of this country, went to the shopping, art and music event Dariyah Nights.
On a TV show, when asked if Ronaldo was happy with his new life in West Asia, journalist Piers Morgan affirmed: “Definitely.” I’ve exchanged a few messages with him and he’s absolutely loving life there, on and off the field.”
Piers Morgan is a writer with a close relationship with CR7. He previously conducted a controversial interview at Old Trafford, opening the door to the deal to bring the 37-year-old striker to Al Nasr.
A noteworthy point is that not only Ronaldo creates influence in Saudi Arabia, but his partner Georgina Rodriguez is also considered a phenomenon on social networks.
According to Dailymail, Rodriguez’s coverage even exceeds that of famous actress Sofia Vergara, who was once honored as Person of the Year. It is known that Rodriguez has a large number of fans in the Gulf country and she is often described as an icon.
Saudi Arabia’s high-handed move
Saudi Arabian authorities have confirmed that Ronaldo will act as an Ambassador, helping the country campaign to win the right to host the 2030 World Cup.
Therefore, his move to play for Al Nassr is not simply a sale of the club that won the national championship 5 times.
In an official statement, Amnesty International called on Cristiano Ronaldo to use his influence to attract attention and influence human rights issues in Saudi Arabia… Amnesty International also believes that
Ronaldo should not let Saudi Arabia take advantage of his popularity as a tool to use sports to cover up the remaining problems in the complicated Middle Eastern country.
Some sources close to the above team said that they only have to pay 1/10 of Ronaldo’s huge salary, the rest will be borne by the Saudi Arabian state.
“This is an opportunity to stand side by side with one of the best players in football history. It is a historic moment for our club, for the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and for the entire region,” an Al Nassr leader once shared.
Houseofsaud emphasized that the people of Saudi Arabia love football very much, and the sport here is sponsored by the Royal Family, directly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Therefore, Ronaldo will likely participate in the sports industry, which is growing strongly here. Moreover, Saudi Arabia also hopes that Ronaldo will increase the appeal of this country.
“Ronaldo’s presence coincides with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to attract more international tourism and investment. The government here is trying to diversify the economy, reducing dependence on oil revenues, and the sports industry is considered a key component of the above strategy.
Ronaldo’s reputation and image will likely attract more attention to Saudi Arabia’s sports scene, acting as a catalyst to seek more investment.
Like Qatar, Saudi Arabia wants the world to know them through sports and Ronaldo is clearly a master move because the whole world is always watching the Portuguese star,” Houseofsaud analyzed.
Sharing the same opinion, Moderndiplomacy newspaper affirmed: Ronaldo’s value to Saudi Arabia goes beyond putting the kingdom’s football on the world map.
He has the ability to boost Saudi Arabia’s efforts to replace Qatar, the World Cup host, and the UAE, as the sports “capital” in the Gulf.
This is part of the strategy of turning Saudi Arabia into an attractive center of the region in all aspects, competing with other Gulf countries.
And in fact, if you look at the movements of Saudi Arabian sports, the above analysis is completely valid.
Before Ronaldo set foot in Saudi Arabia, Saudi Sports Company (SSC), a state-owned company, said it had won exclusive broadcasting rights for the Portuguese Confederation Cup across the Middle East and North Africa. .
SSC also has broadcast rights to Spain’s Copa del Rey, Brazil’s Serie A and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) international and club competitions.
In October last year, the Middle East’s largest sports television company – beIN – chose SMC MC, a Saudi Arabian media company with close ties to the government, as its exclusive advertising partner in China. East and North Africa in a deal said to be worth up to $150 million.
It’s all slowly putting Saudi Arabia on the path to becoming a sports broadcasting powerhouse.
After a slow start, Ronaldo is showing good adaptation to the Saudi Arabian football environment. Most recently, he scored all 4 goals to help Al Nassr defeat Al Wehda in round 18 of the Saudi Arabian National Championship.
“I want to present a different vision of this country and football. This is why I took the opportunity to come here. I came to win, compete, enjoy and become part of the cultural and sports development in Saudi Arabia,” Ronaldo said.
