What does Ronaldo’s deal with Al Nassr mean for Saudi Arabia? | Football news

Saudi Arabia made headlines in November by beating Argentina at the 2022 World Cup as the only team to beat eventual winners Qatar, but there was still time for a bigger surprise in 2022.

On the penultimate day of the year, Saudi Professional League (SPL) club Al Nassr took to social media to announce the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo to a two-and-a-half-year contract reportedly worth more than $200 million per year.

It’s a deal that could have a significant impact on and off the pitch for club, country and the wider world of football.

There had been rumors of Al Nassi’s interest in the Portuguese superstar, who has won five Ballon dOrs, the annual award given to the world’s best player and the same number of UEFA Champions Leagues, going back months, but they were largely dismissed.

However, the move became possible after Ronaldo became a free agent in December after leaving Manchester United, who were angered by an explosive television interview he gave in which he criticized the club’s coach and owners.

Still, few expected one of the best players in the history of the game to actually sign for a Saudi club.

But James Dorsey, a senior fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera that Saudi football should not be underestimated.

Saudi Arabia is a soccer powerhouse in the Middle East and has made it past the group stage in previous World Cups, Dorsey said. They have more and more good foreign players and now they have Ronaldo.

The 37-year-old will make his SPL debut against Ettifaq on Sunday, the 14th game of a 30-match season. Al Nassr, who last won in 2019, currently top the league with a talented squad.

Brazilian striker Anderson Talisca is the top scorer in the SPL this season, while 2018 South American Player of the Year Pity Martinez leads the creative ranks.

Former Arsenal and Napoli number one David Ospina is in goal, with the Colombian international flanked by highly-rated Ivory Coast full-back Ghislain Konan and former Bayern Munich defensive midfielder Luiz Gustavo.

The domestic team is not bad either, as the club has six members of the Saudi Arabian World Cup team. Coach Rudi Garcia has managed major European clubs Marseille, Roma and Lyon and also took tiny Lille to the 2011 French Championship.

It’s a line-up few anywhere else in Asia could match, but now Al Nassr have moved to the next level and their fans are excited.

It’s great that Cristiano and now my friends who support other clubs or are not even interested in football are asking me for tickets because this is not just about Al Nassr but about the whole of Saudi football, Al Nassr fan Ahmed al-Issat told Al Jazeera.

With him we will become champions again and we will become the best team in Asia. Everyone is excited and I can’t wait for the first game to see him play in the yellow jersey and score a goal.

Ayman al-Hatami, a fan of Asia’s most successful club Al Hilal, is less excited about Ronaldo’s chances of scoring against Riyadh’s neighbors and bitter rivals, believing Al Hilal are still far from the talent and mentality of the front runners. Al Nassr crosses.

“Ronaldo will certainly succeed as a player, but I don’t think he will be able to achieve a major championship,” he told Al Jazeera.

Currently, Al Nassr has nine Saudi titles but is yet to win the Asian continental competition, compared to 18 and four for Al Hilal.

Off the field

However, Al Nassr may now have a higher international profile than Al Hilal, even before their new star has kicked a ball. With fans having to wait more than three weeks between his signing and his debut, the first evidence of Ronaldo’s impact has been well away from the pitch.

As of December 29, Al Nassr had approximately 850,000 followers on Instagram. After matching the man who has over 536 million followers on the social media platform, more than anyone else on the planet, Al Nassrs following has risen to almost 12 million to Al Hilals 3.7 million at the time of writing.

It’s a huge increase and several broadcasters are looking to pick up all the Al Nassrs games, Sasi Kumar, a former Singaporean international and now CEO of Madrid-based sports marketing company D+1 Sports, told Al Jazeera.

Outside of Asia I don’t think anyone has heard of Al Nassr, but now in Europe and South America everyone has.

The move could also trigger a flood of big-name signings in the SPL.

Since Ronaldo’s arrival, there have been rumors and reports of other big foreign players such as AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Chelsea’s NGolo Kante.

When you attract the biggest names, there is an impact, Kumar added. It’s not just Al Hilal and Al Nassr, but other clubs and other players are becoming more open to the idea.

The biggest rumor so far is that Lionel Messi is being linked with Al Hilal. Ironically, Ronaldos first game in Saudi Arabia since the transfer will be against his great rival.

The Argentine will face Paris Saint-Germain in an exhibition match against the combined team of Al Hilal and Al Nassr on Thursday in Riyadh. A few weeks ago, the idea of ​​Messi playing for Saudi Arabia would have been rejected, but Ronaldo’s presence makes everything possible.

The same can be said about helping Saudi Arabia bring the World Cup back to the region with the tournament hosted by Qatar in 2022. Saudi Arabia has ambitions to become a major player on the sporting scene.

The deal is a sign that Saudi Arabia is serious, Dorsey said. [Crown Prince] Mohammed bin Salman wants the country to be the center of the region.

Dorsey dismissed the significance of Al Nassri’s recent statement denying there was a clause in the contract obligating Ronaldo to work for any bid for the 2030 tournament.

Just because it’s not in the contract doesn’t mean it hasn’t been discussed and assuming the two and a half years go well I think he’ll be Saudi Arabia [David] Beckham referred to Qatar by using the England icon as an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup.

Nation building

Perhaps Messi and others will be watching to see how Ronaldo positions himself off the pitch as much as on it. The star is expected to live with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez. Under Saudi law, unmarried couples are not allowed to live in cohabitation, but foreigners have been heard taking a softer approach.

Not only can soccer help soften Saudi Arabia’s image abroad amid criticism of the country’s human rights record, but it can also help bring about social change at home. Ronaldo said he aims to promote the development of youth and women’s football in Saudi Arabia.

And football is seen as a key part of Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 as the country tries to diversify its economy and reduce its dependence on oil.

They have a higher agenda. It looks like nation building rather than football building,” Kumar said. Such a high profile player will get all the world’s attention on you and you can show that Saudi Arabia is becoming more progressive.

This way they don’t have to announce it openly, they can do it softly. If you want to attract investment, talent and tourism, there could be no better vehicle than Ronaldo.