After all sorts of speculation over Cristiano Ronaldo's debut in Saudi Arabia, finally there is clarity as the football superstar is confirmed to play his first match which will be a friendly against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Ronaldo has even been named the captain of the Riyadh ST XI who will host PSG.
The 37-year-old will wear the captain's armband in a team which has players from his club Al Nassr along with other clubs which participate in the Saudi League like Al Hilal. In addition, Salem Al-Dawsari, who made headlines after scoring in Saudi Arabia's sensational win over eventual World Champions Argentina in a group stage match will also play for Riyadh ST XI.
The much-awaited fixture is scheduled to take place in Riyadh on Thursday. It is being reported that over 2 billion online ticket requests have already been made for this fixture. Furthermore, the bidding for a VIP "Beyond Imagination" ticket of this match has been already topped over 10 million riyals or $2.66 million in an ongoing auction set to end on Tuesday.
I’m coming here to win, to play, to enjoy: Cristiano Ronaldo
"Thank you Riyadh for the warm welcome! Look forward to seeing you at the stadium tonight," Ronaldo said after joining Al Nassr on Instagram.
“I’m a unique player. It’s good to come here, I broke all the records there (in Europe) and I want to break a few records here. I’m coming here to win, to play, to enjoy, to be part of the success of the country and culture of the country,” he added.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner parted ways with Premier League giants Manchester United after an explosive interview with Piers Morgan in which he went on record saying he has no respect for his Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag. He even alleged that the training facilities at the Old Trafford have stagnated since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ronaldo is expected to make his first competitive appearance in the Saudi Pro League when Al Nassr take on Al Ettifaq on Sunday.