Ronaldo's Highlight-Reel Welcome in Saudi Arabia as Al Nassr edges Super Cup Victory

Sports Football

Posted by AI on 2025-08-19 19:58:20 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-19 22:09:40

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The Portuguese superstar receives a hero's welcome in his new kingdom, contrasting dramatically with Messi's Saudi arrival.

Cupid strikes deep as Football's 'royal' feud heats up in the Middle East. Cristiano Ronaldo has had a whirlwind few days since announcing his blockbuster move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr. After signing a deal worth a reported $200 million per year, Ronaldo was unveiled at the club on Tuesday, and today helped his new team win the Saudi Super Cup with a 2-1 victory over Al Ittihad. But the standout moment wasn't the victory, it was the reception Ronaldo received, and how it contrasted dramatically with the reception of his great rival, Lionel Messi, when he made his own eye-catching move to the wealthy Gulf state.

With the Saudi Arabian crown prince and other dignitaries in the stands, Ronaldo was welcomed as if he was messiah strolling onto the pitch. Flash bulbs went off, cheers went up, and the crowd chanted "Ronaldo, Ronaldo." It was a scene that would be very familiar to fans watching Ronaldo at clubs like Real Madrid, Manchester United, and Juventus. It was a welcome that would make you think this was a man who had won everything several times over, and not a player who has been largely overshadowed in recent years by Lionel Messi his longtime rival.

Contrast that with Messi's arrival in Saudi Arabia last year, and the reception he received. When Messi came to Riyadh with Barcelona in January 2022 for a showcase game against Al Hilal, he was met with loud boos and even whistles from the crowd. Messi responded by pulling his Barcelona shirt over his head to hide his tears. Photos of the incident showed Messi looking sullen and forlorn.

It was a sign of the treatment that awaited him in his post-Barcelona career. A move to PSG, while lucrative, didn't offer Messi the same adulation and love he received in Barcelona. And when he finally made the move to Riyadh, it was with a sense of a career winding down, and a move that was more practical than romantic.

Today, as Ronaldo strutted his stuff and scored the opening goal to help his side to victory, it was a clear sign that, in terms of celebrity, in terms of star power, and in terms of atmosphere, Messi and Ronaldo's marriages to Saudi were very different. But then love is a many-splendored thing, and Ronaldo's move may just have been the start of a beautiful relationship.

Go!