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Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner, Georgina Rodríguez, love life in Saudi Arabia, and the couple are seen as royalty in Riyadh.
The 37-year-old moved to the country earlier this month after signing an impressive £175m a year contract with Saudi Pro League side El-Nassr.
british magazine Tatlerhave given insight into Ronaldo’s lavish life in Saudi Arabia, including quotes from Piers Morgan, who has revealed that the Portuguese star “loves” life in the Middle East.
Cristiano Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodríguez enjoy life in Saudi Arabia
Ronaldo and his family moved to Riyadh earlier this month after joining El-Nassr.
Morgan delivered the explosive revealing interview that led to Ronaldo’s acrimonious departure from Manchester United in November. He has denied claims by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher that the interview has “ended” Ronaldo’s career due to his move to Saudi Arabia.
He told Tatler: “Thanks to the fallout from our interview, Ronaldo signed the biggest transfer deal in football history and is now the highest-paid athlete in the world, at the age of 37,” he told me this week.
“He is also doing what he has done throughout his career, and that for me gives him an advantage over Messi, and that is challenging himself in a new country and a new league, at a time when football in the Middle East is really taking off, as we saw at the World Cup in Qatar, where Morocco reached the semifinals and Saudi Arabia beat eventual winners Messi’s Argentina.
Ronaldo and his entourage occupy 17 suites at The Four Seasons hotel in Riyadh
The family stays in the Kingdom Suite, which has spectacular views of Riyadh.
Morgan added: “Ideally I think he would have preferred to play for another top club in the Champions League for a year or two, but Al Nassr made him an amazing offer, and I think the new challenge of raising the profile of football in a new region of the world, in the twilight of his incredible career, really appealed to him.’
Asked if Ronaldo was happy, Morgan replied: ‘Definitely. I have exchanged a few text messages with him and he loves it, on and off the pitch.
Moving to Saudi Arabia was a big step for Ronaldo, who has spent his life living in Europe, and with the Saudi Pro League not at the level it has played during his incredible career.
Rodriguez is also a star in Saudi Arabia and drew a lot of coverage at the Joy Awards.
Piers Morgan has told how Ronaldo and his family are “loving life” in Saudi Arabia
However, he adapted quickly and received a hero’s reception when 25,000 people greeted him at Mrsool Park, where he will play soccer with El-Nassr.
Tatler claims that Ronaldo, his partner and their five children (Cristiano Jr, Eva, Matteo, Alana Martina and Bella Esmeralda) have become the ‘talk of the city’ since they moved to Riyadh.
They, along with Ronaldo’s entourage, are living an extravagant life while occupying 17 suites at The Four Seasons hotel in the 267-meter-high Kingdom Centre.
The building, which was visited by Saudi-owned Newcastle United in December, is reported to cost more than £250,000 a month.
His family is said to be staying in the two-story Kingdom Suite, which has gold and marble accents in the living room, private office, dining room, and media room.
It has a spectacular view of Riyadh, and the building is also home to designer boutiques such as Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez has been a hit on the social scene in Saudi Arabia.
It is said that the coverage of her social debut at the Joy Awards far exceeded that of the famous actress Sofia Vergara, who had been named “Person of the Year”.
Tatler reports that Rodriguez has a large fan base in Saudi Arabia, with one person describing her as an ‘icon’ before she arrived.
Ronaldo also got used to the social life as he went to Dariyah Nights, a shopping, art and music event, with Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal.
Although he is said to enjoy life on and off the pitch, it has been a slow start for the former Real Madrid star.
Ronaldo left a second scoreless for El-Nassr as he struggled to make an impact during their 3-1 Super Cup semi-final loss to Al-Ittihad, a team that has been linked with great rival Lionel Messi.
Ronaldo, who earns £175m a year, has drawn two blanks in a row at the El-Nassr pitch