This is CR7’s new club
Al-Nassr wants to oust rival – thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr is a fact. The club is hardly known in Europe. But that should change with the commitment of the superstar.
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Al-Nassr President Musalli Al-Muammar can announce the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo on Friday.
Andrea CattaniEditor Sports
An era is coming to an end in top European football. After dominant years in the Spanish, English and Italian leagues, Cristiano Ronaldo is leaving the big stage and moving to the desert.
CR7’s move to Saudi club Al-Nassr was officially announced on Friday. For the club from the capital Riyadh, the mega deal is a coup that makes it a household name in half the world.
In the shadow of the city rival
Al-Nassr was founded in 1955. The team won their first national titles in the mid-1960s. The club celebrated the last of a total of nine championships in 2019.
Al-Nassr (translated: “victory”) is one of the most important clubs in Saudi Arabia today. Nevertheless, the team is mostly overshadowed by the great dominator and city rival Al-Hilal. Ronaldo’s commitment is therefore also a clear declaration of war: Al-Nassr wants to become the undisputed number 1 in the region.
Since this summer, the 58-year-old Frenchman Rudi Garcia (ex-Marseille, Lyon and Roma coach, among others) has been on the sidelines at Al-Nassr. Under his leadership, «the Knights», as the team is also known, have only suffered one defeat in the first ten games of the season. The gap to leader Al-Shabab is currently two points.
Is Ronaldo lifting the mini viewership?
The 37-year-old Ronaldo will no longer appear in stadiums such as Old Trafford, San Siro or Munich’s Allianz Arena. The new home of the Portuguese is now called Msool Park, which can accommodate 25,000 spectators. On average, there are currently around 7,700 spectators in the stadium at Al-Nassr’s home games. This value is likely to increase significantly after the new superstar is signed.
One of the club’s biggest dreams is winning the AFC Champions League, the equivalent of Uefa’s top European league. At least this year – even with Ronaldo – it will remain a dream. Al-Nassr is not represented in the current edition of the competition. (cat)