Ronaldo polarizes in Riyadh: “Now we can’t like him anymore!”

The 38-year-old has been under contract with Al-Nassr since January 1. Since then he has scored 33 goals in 40 games. But in Riyadh the relationship with him is more special than in the rest of the country: here he polarizes. The Al-Nassr fans love and even idolize him. Shortly after his presentation, all Ronaldo jerseys were sold out and street vendors reported 20 times more sales than before the superstar’s arrival. “Ronaldo is the greatest, the best of all time,” 16-year-old Faisal told Al-Hilal before the city derby. His colleague Mishary, who is the same age, agrees with him.

But if you ask Al-Hilal’s supporters, the praise quickly runs out. Mohammed (18) speaks clearly: “We all used to like Ronaldo, but now he plays for our great rival: now we can’t like him anymore! That’s impossible.” A passing fan shouts: “Riyadh is blue!” Al-Nassr’s yellow players frown at them, Ronaldo or not. Mohammed explains: “This rivalry is bigger than just one player.”

When Ronaldo later took the field to warm up at the King Fahd Stadium, the first thing he heard was whistles from the Al Hilal Curve. And then there were deafening cries of ‘Meeeeeeesssi, Meeeeeeesssi.’ Al-Hilal’s followers leave no doubt who they believe is the greatest of all time. Meanwhile, Ronaldo reacts calmly. He laughs and sends an air kiss into the corner. He takes it with humor.

However, when it comes to the league experiencing a revival thanks to Ronaldo, fans in Riyadh suddenly agree again. Al-Nassr supporter Faisal says: “He is the best advertisement for us.” And Mohammed in the blue and white jersey adds: “He is now part of the Saudi culture, through him the world sees football in this country.” The teenager is of course right: more and more TV stations from all over the world are broadcasting SPL games.

Ronaldo is also the country’s biggest influencer. The former Sporting, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus player has 613 million followers on Instagram. A few positive words about Saudi Arabia – and the post goes around the world. The post featuring Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is internationally controversial but loved by many young people in his own country, received more than eleven million likes.

Of course, the Saudis do not tolerate their famous advertising media either. Rumor has it that stars who post something nice about the desert state earn an equally nice amount of money. But the power of the Saudis, who have become rich through the oil trade, is best reflected in Ronaldo’s huge contract. He would have to raise half a billion euros for the now established two and a half years. 200 million per season.

After moving to Riyadh, Ronaldo was initially billeted at the chic Four Seasons Hotel, located in the spectacular Kingdom Tower. There he would have stayed in the presidential suite and rented a total of 17 rooms for his entire entourage. Costs: 280,000 euros per month. That was at the beginning of the year. It is said that he now lives in a secret resort in the Riyadh region. Isolated, but no less luxurious. It’s no surprise that he only has a mild smile for a few Messi provocations.