The player is to be formally presented to fans at the club’s home ground, Mrsool Park, which has a capacity of 25,000 people, at 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. Eastern) on Tuesday, the club said. Tickets cost around $4, with proceeds going to a charity, it added. Spectators may see Ronaldo don the club’s yellow and blue uniform and pose for photographs; new players also sometimes take exhibit their soccer tricks and skills during such events.
Posting on his Instagram account late Monday, the Portuguese star shared a short video of himself on a private jet telling his fans: “Hi, guys, see you soon!”
Images later showed him and his family arriving at a Riyadh airport and being greeted with flowers from fans in a country that reveres the sport.
In November, the Saudi Arabian national team notched a historic upset victory in group play over eventual World Cup winner Argentina in neighboring Qatar. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund owns English Premier League team Newcastle United, as foreign nations continue to pour money into European clubs. Human rights advocates have criticized what they deem “sportswashing” by the oil-rich state, while the United Nations has long urged the country to improve its human rights record.
“History in the making,” the al-Nassr club said in a tweet announcing Ronaldo’s signing last week. “Welcome Cristiano to your new home.”
The Portuguese forward said in a statement that he was “excited to experience a new football league in a different country.” He added: “I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia.”
Now 37 and nearing the end of his career, Ronaldo will play for the Saudi club until 2025, al-Nassr said. It did not disclose financial details, but media reports said his contract would pay about $75 million a year, making him one of the highest-paid soccer players in history.
The world’s top soccer players often spend their twilight years outside Europe, usually opting for the United States or China. The Saudi club is coached by Rudi Garcia, of France, and Ronaldo will join other notable players on the team, from Brazil, Colombia and Cameroon.
During his storied career, Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or award five times as the men’s soccer player of the year, and in Qatar, he cemented his legacy by becoming the first man to score in five World Cup tournaments.
He has played in Europe’s top leagues, for Spain’s Real Madrid and Italy’s Juventus, as well as two stints at Manchester United. However, the mercurial player left the northern England club acrimoniously in November, becoming a free agent, shortly after blasting its American owners and its manager in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan.
Ronaldo, already the most followed individual on Instagram, has lent some of his star power to the Saudi club. Its online followers shot from about 860,000 to over 7.4 million on Tuesday, days after it announced his lucrative signing.
It’s unclear when Ronaldo will play his first match for al-Nassr, but the team has scheduled games for Thursday and Jan. 14.
