Five months after shocking the football world by signing for Al Nassr, Cristiano Ronaldo’s first season in Saudi Arabia will end with mixed results.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner adds nothing to the seven league titles he has won in England, Spain and Italy as his Riyadh club will finish second behind the newly crowned champions ahead of the final game of the season Al-Ittihad. on Wednesday. Al Nassr was also dumped from the Saudi Cup in the semi-finals.
But Ronaldo’s figures on the field remain impressive; he has scored 14 goals in 16 league games in Saudi Arabia to date. Al Nassr may have struggled to match Al Ittihad’s consistency and defensive strength, but they have qualified for the next edition of the Asian Champions League.
“In some matches he stood out; in others he didn’t, but we all know what he can do,” said Roel Coumans, head coach of Saudi Professional League club Abha, who lost 2-1 to Al Nassr in March and Ronaldo scored the equalizer.
“Al Nassr has some very good players who can help and he needs support, but there is no doubt that he will take the level of the team to the next level.”
There has been some turmoil during Ronaldo’s time with Al Nassr. In April, coach Rudi Garcia left the club amid reports that Ronaldo was unhappy with the French coach’s methods and tactics. There is no doubt that Ronaldo has been instrumental in leading the team. When he misses a chance or loses possession, his anger in himself is plain to see for all to see – as are the demands and expectations he has of his teammates.
“Not enough attention is paid to his teammates and how he has changed the team [competitive] mentality of the dressing room and the club,” said former Singapore international Sasi Kumar, now CEO of Madrid-based sports marketing company D+1. “I would love to be his teammate and see how a world champion behaves and prepares.”
Behind the scenes, Saudi football officials are hoping the league will become not only Asia’s clear number one, but also one of the best in the world. Ronaldo has said it openly more than once.
“The Saudi league is getting better, next year will be even better,” he said, after scoring a spectacular winning goal against Al Shabab on May 23.
“Step by step I think this league will be in the top five in the world, but they need time, they need players, they need infrastructure. But I believe this country has great potential. They have great people and the competition will be great in my opinion.”
Coumans thinks that is quite a task, but sees a competition going in the right direction.
“It’s hard to imagine [top 5] happens, but it is a nice ambition,” he said. “If you look from the perspective of that goal, you need this kind of exposure. The arrival of foreign top players will make the difference. The level is definitely improving.”
Ronaldo’s presence also means reports of Lionel Messi heading to Riyadh rival Al Hilal are being taken seriously and, whether or not the Argentine powerhouse leaves for Saudi Arabia, some top-notch imports are expected this summer.
“It all starts with one person,” Kumar said. “Get a high-profile star and the next one starts thinking, ‘If Ronaldo can go there, then it’s good enough for me.'”
However, Coumans is concerned that despite the increase in standards, there may be negative consequences for Saudi players as the number of foreign players able to take the field rises from seven to eight next season.
“If you want to be in the top five, you need these kinds of stars, but you also have to look at the development of Saudi football,” he said. “The young players learn from the big stars, but if they don’t play every week, they can’t develop the way they want.”
‘Children want to play like Ronaldo’
However, it is off the field where Ronaldo has made the most impact. Al Nassr instantly became one of the most talked about clubs in the world.
“In Spain now I see a lot of kids wearing Al Nassr Ronaldo kits and that shows the business success,” said Kumar.
The club’s Instagram followers rose from around 860,000 to almost 15 million following his move.
“It has raised their profile to a higher level,” said Pat Janssen, CEO of Al Shabab from 2017 to 2018. “Only the TV rights to his matches are a commercial success.”
It has been reported that league matches have been sold to 36 international broadcasters.
Ronaldo’s presence is not just about football. As Saudi Arabia tries to position itself as a major sports center and diversify an economy historically dependent on oil, it increasingly hosts sporting events such as Formula 1, golf tournaments and boxing and wrestling matches.
Having Ronaldo – the most followed person on Instagram, with more than 560 million followers – is making a difference to the country’s sports brand.
“To get eyeballs, you let the greatest athlete in the world live there and they knew exactly who to look for,” said Kumar. “It is a well thought out and planned strategy to market itself to the world. We live in a society where influencers dictate our thinking and he is the ultimate influencer.”
According to some media reports, Ronaldo is unhappy with Al Nassr and has struggled to adapt to the Saudi culture and language barrier. Messi’s name has been chanted at him by Saudi fans.
On social media, Ronaldo at least gives the impression of enjoying life in the countryside with his family and has been photographed as a tourist and dressed in traditional Saudi clothing.
It can be no coincidence that his children play a visible role in his time in Saudi Arabia. With obesity rates on the rise in the country — a recent study reported an obesity rate of 35 percent compared to the global average of 13 percent — there has been a push to encourage society to be more active.
“He is a sports model to follow his children in terms of maintenance [a] healthy, nutritious and sporty lifestyle,” says Ayman al-Hatami, a fan of Al Hilal.
Saudi football officials believe the next generation of boys and girls will take up the sport.
“He will undoubtedly inspire the young people,” said Janssen. “The connection he has with young people is ambitious. Kids want to play like Ronaldo.”