It has been ten months since Cristiano Ronaldo left European football and became the first of many big stars to make the switch to Saudi Arabia at Al-Nassr.
Many billed the move as, essentially, the end of his days at football’s elite level. With no top clubs interested in taking him from Manchester United – a damning indictment of his fading powers.
It was felt he had little choice but to call time on his Champions League career and accept Saudi’s millions – earning a staggering £175million-per-year.
The standard of football in the Saudi Pro League is improving with the array of elite stars that have since followed but is still underwhelming at best for a player who is unanimously regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
He started to show a higher level of frustration during his second Manchester United stint, which he is still showing on and off the pitch in Saudi Arabia – particularly in the aftermath of Lionel Messi‘s eighth Ballon d’Or win earlier this week, putting him three ahead of his long-time rival.
But anytime he is asked about how life is in Saudi Arabia he always gives a positive response. When looking at the many luxuries and privileges he has been afforded in the Middle East you can see why. He has also returned to scoring form, while his star power off the pitch is shining as bright as ever.
Though the level of football in Saudi Arabia is not what he is used to, his star power off the pitch is as bright as ever (pictured with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez at Fury vs Ngannou)
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner is staying in an exclusive gated community with round-the-clock security and has received gifts like £630,000 custom-made watches.
His long-time partner Rodriguez, meanwhile, has been a hit on the social scene in Saudi.
Coverage of her social debut at the Joy Awards – is said to have far outweighed that of famous actress Sofia Vergara who had been named ‘Person of the Year’. Tatler reported that Rodriguez has already amassed a huge fanbase in Saudi, with one person describing her as an ‘icon’ before she even arrived.
Ronaldo’s girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez has also been a hit on the social scene in Saudi Arabia and was described as an ‘icon’ before she even arrived
Ronaldo has lived like a king in Saudi Arabia, earning a staggering £175m-a-year at Al-Nassr
Ronaldo stays in an exclusive gated community with round-the clock security
Ronaldo also received a custom-made £630,000 Saudi-themed watch from Jacob & Co
The one-of-a-kind timepiece, with a dark-green Saudi theme to represent the country’s flag and its main religion Islam, has 338 extremely rare gemstones embedded in it
