Cristiano Ronaldo lands in Saudi Arabia ahead of his Al-Nassr medical
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Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Riyadh on Monday night before undergoing a medical with Al Nassr on Tuesday.
The club is scheduled to officially present the former Manchester United striker at 16:00 GMT in the Saudi capital Riyadh.
SSC [Saudi Sports Company] will stream and broadcast Ronaldo’s presentation at Mrsool Park live on its channels.
More to follow…
Ronaldo excitedly addressed his new Al Nassr fans as he traveled to Saudi Arabia to complete a medical after accepting his sensational £175m a year move to the club.
Sharing a story on Instagram on Monday afternoon, the optimistic Portuguese superstar pointed at the camera with a wink and said: ‘Hey guys, see you soon!’
Ronaldo, who cut an emotional and relaxed figure ahead of his trip to the Middle East, left Manchester United acrimoniously in November after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan, in which he criticized both the club and manager Erik ten Hag.
Cristiano Ronaldo sent a message to Al Nassr fans while flying to Saudi Arabia on Monday
Ronaldo will undergo his Al Nassr medical on Tuesday ahead of the 37-year-old superstar’s official club presentation later that day.
Al Nassr has confirmed that he plans to present Ronaldo at his 30,000-seat stadium, Mrsool Park, at 7:00pm local time on Tuesday night (4:00pm GMT).
According to the Saudi daily Arriyadiyah, Al Nassr is ready to “throw a party” on the same level as Ronaldo’s introduction to Real Madrid in 2009.
Announcing the news on Instagram, the club proudly displayed the hashtag ‘Cristiano is yellow’ with an image of him performing his signature celebration.
Ronaldo agreed to join Al Nassr in a record deal worth £175m a year last week
Ronaldo’s wife, Georgina Rodríguez, also took to Instagram to post photos of what appeared to be the plane to Saudi Arabia. The 28-year-old model accompanied the gallery of her images with the caption: ‘Not without me!’
It is understood that the veteran and his family will stay at a luxury hotel in the capital while he seeks a permanent residence in Riyadh.
If Ronaldo proves fit enough to face Al Ta’ee on Thursday, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could well make his Al Nassr debut this week.
Although Thursday’s clash in the Saudi Pro League may present too difficult a turnaround in terms of match sharpness, manager Rudi Garcia will be keen for the former Red Devils striker to rack up some crucial minutes ahead of the top-of-the-table showdown. the table of his team against Al Shabab next Saturday.
His wife Georgina Rodríguez posted photos of what appeared to be the plane on social media.
With Al Nassr having to wait a fortnight until his next match is hosted at Mrsool Park, the Saudi club will no doubt want Ronaldo to show up on Thursday before having to wait two more weeks to showcase the greatest of all time to their fans.
If Ronaldo loses against Al Ta’ee, he will probably make his home debut against Ettifaq on January 21.
It’s only a matter of time until the Portuguese icon plays his first game outside of a European league, having previously played for Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus during his illustrious career.
Rudi García risked angering his new star with a joke that he wanted to sign Lionel Messi first
On New Year’s Eve, head coach Garcia strangely risked upsetting Ronaldo when he told reporters he wanted to sign Lionel Messi first, following the Argentine’s World Cup feat last month.
When asked about Ronaldo’s arrival in Saudi Arabia, Garcia jokingly admitted: “First I tried to get Messi.”
The French coach, formerly of Rome, Marseille and Lyon, took charge of Al Nassr back in June.
Ronaldo’s contract with Man United was broken last month after a revealing interview with Piers Morgan.
Having fallen out of favor with both Ten Hag and former Portuguese coach Fernando Santos during the World Cup, Ronaldo has grown accustomed to tense relations with his bosses.
The forward, who claimed in his explosive interview with Morgan that he felt ‘betrayed’ by Manchester United, admitted he had no respect for Ten Hag following the Dutchman’s arrival at Old Trafford this summer.
He said: ‘I have no respect for him because he shows no respect for me. If you don’t have respect for me, I will never have respect for you.