Cristiano Ronaldo is all set to play his first-ever game in Saudi Arabia, but not for his club Al Nassr. The Portuguese forward will feature in a friendly exhibition match for Riyadh ST XI against French giants Paris Saint Germain, officials announced on Monday. The high-voltage match is slated to be held at the King Fahd International Stadium in the capital city of Riyadh on 19 January.
The 37-year-old has also been named the captain of the side which will also include a number of footballers from the Saudi Arabia national team. Prominent names like full-back Saud Abdulhamid and Salem Al-Dawsari who netted the winning goal in the nail-biting World Cup opener against Argentina will also be a part of the unit.
Fans were eagerly waiting to see Ronaldo start off the new chapter of his career in the Asian country. But, when it is coming against his greatest football rival Lionel Messi, the excitement is unparalleled. Football enthusiasts have been sent into a frenzy and tickets are running out quite fast. As per reports, more than 2 million tickets for the highly-anticipated battle have already been sold. In an auction that is due to conclude on Tuesday, the price for a VIP “Beyond Imagination” ticket to the game has already surpassed 10 million riyals ($2.66 million).
However, there is still some time for Ronaldo to make his debut for his new club Al Nassr in the Saudi Arabian league. Following Portugal’s exit from the Qatar World Cup, the former United footballer joined the Saudi team for a lucrative contract estimated by the local media to be worth more than €200 million ($216.34 million).
The ex-Real Madrid striker touched down in the gulf nation in the first week of January. But, he was serving a two-match ban by the FA for throwing off a mobile phone from the hands of an Everton fan during his second spell with Manchester United in April 2022.
Ronaldo is expected to don the Al Nassr kit for the first time in a home match of the Saudi Pro League against Al Ettifaq on 22 January.
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