Cristiano Ronaldo to make Al Nassr debut against Lionel Messi today:
Cristiano Ronaldo to make Al Nassr debut against Lionel Messi today
Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain will face a select group of players from Cristiano Ronaldo’s new team, Al Nassr, and their Saudi rivals, Al Hilal, in a friendly match on Thursday in Riyadh.
According to club sources:
This will be Ronaldo’s first game in the kingdom since signing a contract with Al Nassr that runs through 2025 and is worth more than 200 million euros ($214 million).
On Sunday, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner will make his Saudi Pro League debut for Al Nassr.
To promote Thursday’s friendly, Turki al-Sheikh, a Royal Court advisor and the head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced a charity auction for a special ticket that would include benefits such as access to the players’ locker rooms and opportunities for photos with them.
The auction began on Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. local time and ended at 1 million Saudi riyals ($266,000).
according to Sheikh
Mushref al-Ghamdi later submitted the winning bid of 10 million riyals ($2.6 million).
Sheikh stated:
“Congratulations, you deserve it, and may God reward you with good.”
The auction proceeds will be donated to the national charity initiative Ehsan.
Along with Messi, France’s Kylian Mbappe and Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, who helped Morocco become the first Arab and African team to advance past the World Cup quarterfinals last year, are expected to play on Thursday.
Saudi national team member Salem Al-Dawsari scored the game-winning goal in the Green Falcons’ shocking World Cup victory over Argentina.
oil-rich monarchy Saudi Arabia is constantly accused of “sports washing.”
Or the use of sports to divert attention away from human rights issues.
Saudi Arabia has been amassing sports assets in an effort to soften its austere image.
Ronaldo is expected to receive a total of 400 million euros in the kingdom.
Including a separate payment for his work as an ambassador for a future World Cup bid by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Greece, according to sources close to Al Nassr.
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