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Look: Ronaldo arrives in Saudi Arabia ahead of grand Al Nassr unveiling
The latest, and possibly final, chapter in an illustrious career comes weeks after Portugal's quarter-final exit from the World Cup in neighbouring Qatar
Photos: Al Nassr
Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Riyadh ahead of his grand unveiling before thousands of fans at Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr club on Tuesday, after sealing a shock move estimated at more than 200 million euros.
Photos of the football star in Saudi Arabia on Monday night have been posted by Al Nassr on social media.
The 37-year-old, a five-time winner of the Ballon d'Or, touched down in the capital late on Monday, according to Al Ekhbariya state run TV, and is staying at a luxury hotel with his entourage.
"He brought a big team of assistants and even a private security firm," an official told AFP.
There are high security measures around the airport with many police cars and checkpoints.
Where to watch
Ronaldo will appear at Al Nassr's 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park stadium in Riyadh at 7pm (8pm UAE time) on Tuesday, officials said. According to Al Nassr, the tickets to the event cost 15 Saudi riyal.
The event will be broadcast on SSC (Saudi Sports Company) channel.
The latest, and possibly final, chapter in an illustrious career comes weeks after Portugal's quarter-final exit from the World Cup in neighbouring Qatar, where his great rival Lionel Messi lifted the trophy with Argentina.
Ronaldo's signing until June 2025 is just the latest foray into top-level sports by Saudi, which has moved into Formula One, boxing and golf and snapped up English club Newcastle United.
Ronaldo is by far the biggest star to play in Saudi Arabia, although other heavyweights including George Weah, Pep Guardiola and Xavi also had stints in the wealthy Gulf in the twilight of their careers.
Al Nassr, the nine-time Saudi league champions, have called Ronaldo's signing "more than history in the making", claiming he will inspire the rest of the league and even the country.
In a tweet, Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal pledged to "support the rest of our clubs for quality deals with international stars soon".
United terminated Ronaldo's contract during the World Cup after an explosive interview where he said he felt "betrayed" by the club and had no respect for coach Erik ten Hag.
The Portuguese forward has long been one of the top-paid players in football, earning a reported salary of 31 million euros ($33m) at Juventus before taking a pay-cut to rejoin United.
Ronaldo has won five Champions League titles, league titles in Italy with Juventus, in Spain with Real Madrid and in England with United.
He is also the top scorer in the Champions League and with the Portuguese national team, with whom he won Euro 2016.
In Qatar, he became the first man to score at five World Cups with his penalty in the group-stage win over Ghana.
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