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February 28, 2023
One of the reasons why Al-Nassr didn't hesitate in signing Cristiano Ronaldo was because of the impact they knew it would have in their global reach. It's might come hard to measure in raw numbers, but everyone is aware of the huge potential and the opportunities a player of Ronaldo's caliber delivers when he arrives to a new club...
Thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, the Saudi Pro League – the top tier of men's professional football in Saudi Arabia, is now firmly on the world football map more than ever and attracting the media attention from from all corners of the globe. The Portuguese international may not have gotten off to the best start, but he seems to have settled down now and is already beginning to make a huge impact both on and off the pitch. In his last 3 games for the club, Ronaldo scored a total of 8 goals. The question being asked here is, will Ronaldo take Saudi football to a new global audience?
Cristiano Ronaldo - First 10 goals for Al-Nassr:
Al-Nassr FC are the second most successful club in the Saudi Pro League. They have won the league on nine separate occasions compared to Al-Hilal's 18 league titles. The club formed in 1955, and they play their home games at the Mrsool Park football stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which has a 25,000-capacity.
The all-time highest goalscorer for the club is Majed Ahmed Abdullah, who managed to score 189 league goals in a glittering career that lasted just over two decades.
The team plays its home games in the iconic blue and yellow. The current manager is Rudi Garcia, and the president is Musalli Al-Muammar (the former head of the Saudi Pro League).
Wherever Cristiano Ronaldo plays, whether it's La Liga, the Premier League, Serie A, or the Saudi Pro League, he tends to attract more viewers and increase revenue for the team he plays for.
He helps boost t-shirt and ticket sales and sales of other Cristiano branded merchandise in the online and offline club shops.
Many people believe that his presence alone has helped lift the spirit of the team and the fans, which you cannot put a price on.
People who follow Ronaldo and who would never normally tune in to watch any Saudi Pro league matches are now watching games, even if it's just to see Ronaldo, which means that Ronaldo has definitely shone a light on the league.
On February 3rd, Al-Nassr travelled away to Al Fateh and drew 2-2, with Ronaldo scoring an important penalty in the 93rd minute. In their next league game away to Al-Wehda, they won 4-0, and Ronaldo scored all four goals, which went down well with the home fans and was exactly why the club forked out more than £62 million.
They also won their next league game 2-1 at home to Al-Taawoun on February 17th. On February 25th, they played Damac away and Ronaldo scored a hat-trick. Then, on March 3rd, they will face Al-Batin at home.
After 18 games played, they are sitting at the top of the table with 43 points. They have won 13, drawn 4, and lost 1, and they have scored 39 goals and let in 9, which gives them a +30 goal difference.
Second place Al-Ittihad and third place Al-Shabab are also both on 40 points... However, both teams are slightly behind on goal difference. Al-Ittihad are currently on +25 (scored 31 and let in 6), and Al-Shabab are on +23 (scored 37 and let in 14).
Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League is on March 3, against Al Batin. You can watch Al Nassr vs Al Batin, Juventus vs Torino, Liverpool vs Wolverhampton, Bristol City vs Manchester City, Arsenal vs Everton and Fulham vs Leeds, all matches provided from our stream live game pages.
Al-Nassr next game:
Al Nassr vs Al Batin kick-off time (03-03-2023):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 00:30
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 22:00
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 19:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 17:30
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 17:30
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 16:30
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 13:30
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-5: 12:00
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-8: 08:30
Sources: ronaldo7.net / forbes.com / daznbet.com
