Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Riyadh ahead of his grand unveiling before thousands of fans at Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr club on Tuesday.
The 37-year-old, a five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, touched down in the Saudi capital late on Monday.
Ronaldo, who left Manchester United under a cloud after slamming the club in a TV interview, will appear at Al Nassr’s 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park stadium in Riyadh at 7:00 pm (1600 GMT) on Tuesday, the club announced.
Ronaldo will be formally introduced to the supporters of his new club at Mrsool Park, where tens of thousands of fans are expected to be in attendance.
Situated in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Mrsool Park (which is also known as King Saud University Stadium) is the home of Al-Nassr and has a capacity of 25,000.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star will undergo a medical at the club to ensure he is fully fit and healthy enough to compete in the Saudi Pro League before being presented before the world.
Ronaldo is expected to be presented to the Al-Nassr fans and the world by club president Musalli Al-Muammar, with club officials of all stripes set to be in attendance too.
Al Nassr, the nine-time Saudi league champions, have called Ronaldo’s signing “more than history in the making”, claiming he will inspire the rest of the league and even the country.
In a tweet, Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal pledged to “support the rest of our clubs for quality deals with international stars soon”. — Agencies, via Saudi Gazette
