Saudis flock to buy Ronaldo shirts after Al Nassr deal

Just hours after Cristiano Ronaldo penned a two-year contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr, crowds flocked to football kit shops in Riyadh to buy the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s new club jersey.

Abdulmohsen al-Ayyban, 41, and his nine-year-old son Nayef were among those queuing at the Al Nassr club’s official kit shop on Saturday, where clerks were busy stamping Ronaldo’s name on shirts.

“We are witnessing a historic moment,” al-Ayyban told AFP of the deal which he believes “will elevate the Saudi football league”.

Ronaldo on Friday signed for Al Nassr until June 2025 in a deal believed to be worth more than 200 million euros.

Nayef beamed proudly holding his new shirt high.

For a young Saudi, a dream has come true.

“I always want Al Nassr to have the best players in the world,” he said. “I will make sure to watch all the games at the stadium.”

Ronaldo, 37, is expected to appear in front of the fans on Thursday, an official from the Al Nassr club told AFP.

For Saudi Arabia, Ronaldo is the latest prized sporting gem acquired to add luster to its international image.

At home, the deal boosted national morale that rose after the kingdom beat eventual winners Argentina in the preliminary stages of the 2022 World Cup, a victory that was one of the biggest shocks in the tournament’s history.

An unprecedented rush at the Al Nassr kit shop began as soon as reports of the deal leaked to the local press on Friday night – hours before the official announcement.

Abdulqader, the store manager said that the queue had already formed outside the store and was starting to grow.

Stocks of jerseys are almost empty, forcing customers to bring their own to have the player’s name printed – a process that will take up to two days.

“I have never seen anything like this in my life,” Abdulqader told AFP.

Social media explosion

Inside the store, the festive atmosphere remained, as Lebanese, Egyptian and Chinese residents added to the crowd of Saudis hoping to get their hands on Ronaldo merchandise.

“I have been a fan of Ronaldo since I was a child and now the Saudi club I support has bought him… my joy is doubled,” said Saudi University student Mohammad al-Johni, who was wearing the club’s official Al Nassr shirt.

“I will be the first person to attend the welcome ceremony,” the 23-year-old said.

Mohammad’s friend, a 21-year-old university student, echoed the excitement.

“The deal confirms the value of the Al Nassr club,” he said. “Enthusiasm and high expectations.”

In the social media network, Al Nassr’s channel got a big boost.

Millions of new users followed the club’s Instagram page, bringing the total to nearly 4 million, up from around 800,000 before the announcement.

“The impact of the deal was already felt, even before Ronaldo arrived in Saudi Arabia,” Ahmed Al-Zbani, a 19-year-old Saudi university student told AFP.

“The impact will continue to grow in the days to come”.

Many Saudis took to social media to praise the move.

“A dream has come true,” read an Instagram post by the store that printed Ronaldo shirts in Al Nasser’s team colors.

The comments quickly flooded with customers asking for shirts in their sizes.

“A picture for the history books,” one Saudi user wrote on Twitter, captioning a picture of Ronaldo holding an Al Nasser jersey.

Ronaldo moved to the Gulf after a year that saw him relegated to the bench for Portugal and cut by Manchester United.

United parted ways with the Portuguese star after the veteran striker gave an explosive TV interview in which he said he felt “betrayed” by the club and disrespected by coach Erik ten Hag.

United terminated Ronaldo’s contract with Portugal at the World Cup.

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