Ronaldo to debut in Saudi Arabia

2023-01-17 11:39

Ronaldo to debut in Saudi Arabia

Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Saudi Arabia for the first time since joining Al Nacer after he was named captain of the ST XI in Riyadh for a friendly against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain, it was announced on Monday. .


The 37 -year-old Portuguese will lead a side comprising players from Saudi side Al Hilal and Al Nasser against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain in what will be the latest chapter in the famous global football rivalry.

Also in the line-up are Saudi international Salim Dowsari , who scored in last year's World Cup group stage win over Argentina, and Saudi Abdul Hamid.

The much-anticipated matchup, which will take place in Riyadh on Thursday, reportedly had more than two million requests for tickets online.

Bids for VIP " Beyond You Think " tickets for the match have surpassed 10 million riyals ( $ 2.66 million) in the auction, which is due to end on Tuesday .


Ronaldo to debut in Saudi Arabia

Missed two games earlier

Ronaldo has missed his first two domestic appearances for Al Nacer after being suspended by the English Football Association in April for knocking a mobile phone out of a fan's hand.

The Portuguese striker arrived at the Arab side earlier this month in a deal estimated by the media to be worth more than 200 million euros ( $ 216.34 million) by 2025 .

Ronaldo will make his Saudi professional league debut when Al Nasser hosts Al Ettifaq on Sunday.