Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s new team, is known as Al Alami, which translates to “The Global Club.”
However, the Saudi Arabian club was unprepared for the sudden worldwide attention that followed one of the most sensational signings in football history.
Al Nassr still does not have an English-language website, which made it difficult for many fans to learn the specifics of Ronaldo’s contract after it was announced last Friday.
Two simple photos, taken in Madrid following the conclusion of negotiations, were posted on the club’s Twitter account. It took another 10 minutes for the news to be updated in the English language feed.
Al Nassr’s social media accounts have become more user friendly for a western audience in the week since the signing, but its website remains in Arabic only.
Its Instagram account has grown from 1.2 million to 9.6 million followers and counting.
Ronaldo has given Al Nassr instant fame outside of Asia, and the club is scrambling to catch up with its newfound fame.
An outside public relations firm has been hired to assist with the sudden influx of media requests, and Ronaldo has his own publicist.
On Tuesday, he gave a presentation at the club’s 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park, which included a stage-managed news conference with no questions from the media in attendance.
Al Nassr earned its nickname after becoming the first Asian team to compete in a global competition at the inaugural Club World Cup in Brazil in 2000.
Nonetheless, it will have been little known to many fans around the world prior to the links to Ronaldo becoming public in November.
It is not even the most well-known club in Riyadh.
Al Hilal, the team next door, is the most successful in Saudi football, having won 18 titles and four Asian Champions Leagues.
Al Nassr plays at the former Al Hilal stadium, which was also linked with a Ronaldo move.
That’s just one more reason for Al Nassr fans to rejoice.
They waited in the rain to catch a glimpse of the 37-year-old forward before his presentation, and they chanted his name loudly when he stepped onto the field in the club colors of yellow and blue, with his No. 7 on the back of his shirt.
Al Nassr president Musalli Almuammar stated that the signing was about changing the face of the club and Saudi football rather than winning trophies.
“Having the greatest football player is an indication that we have a vision to improve Saudi football,” he said.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, has come here to win in what is likely his final move of his illustrious career.
They waited in the rain to catch a glimpse of the 37-year-old forward before his presentation, and they chanted his name loudly when he stepped onto the field in the club colors of yellow and blue, with his No. 7 on the back of his shirt.
Al Nassr president Musalli Almuammar stated that the signing was about changing the face of the club and Saudi football rather than winning trophies.
“Having the greatest football player is an indication that we have a vision to improve Saudi football,” he said.
Ronaldo, on the other hand, has come here to win in what is likely his final move of his illustrious career.
He is also well-known as a sports news analyst and columnist.
He previously worked as a marketing researcher for Manchester United.
Almuammar received his education at Harvard and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Almuammar did not deny this week that Ronaldo’s contract made him the highest-paid player in football history, even though he refused to confirm reports that the contract was worth up to $200 million per year.
Given that the questions at the presentation were posed by the arranged host, Saudi newsreader Weam Al Dakheel, rather than journalists on the floor, it was clear that it was a topic he was eager to discuss.
The specifics, such as bonuses and incentives, have not been revealed. It is also unclear how the deal was funded, though Almuammar mentioned the commercial agreements Ronaldo’s arrival would generate, with announcements to follow.
Almuammar made a point of thanking Muhammad Al Khuraiji, a prominent businessman, who he described as his “optimistic brother” in a Twitter post. Mrsool Park is owned by Al Khuraiji’s Saudi Media Company (SMC).
Last year, he and SMC were linked with a bid for Chelsea after the English Premier League club was put up for sale and then-owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the United Kingdom government.
It is unknown what role he played in Ronaldo’s signing, but it was significant enough for Almuammar to thank him “first and foremost” among those who worked on what he called “the most important deal in Saudi sports history.”
