Four hours before Al-Nassr unveil their new £173m-a-year signing and potentially 11 days before he even kicks a ball, the Saudi Arabia club has already benefited from the Cult of Cristiano.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo was confirmed as Al-Nassr’s new player on December 30, the club’s Instagram following has grown exponentially from 887,000 on December 29 to more than 7.5 million.
According to the analytical firm Football Benchmark, Manchester United experienced a rise of more than six million on the social media platform when he rejoined the club in the summer of 2021. Ronaldo’s account is the most followed on Instagram, with more than half a billion, and Al-Nassr believe that his mere presence at the club can lead to huge rises in marketing and commercial opportunities.
On Monday he posted a short video of himself on a private jet heading to Riyadh, simply saying "Hi guys, see you soon" with the club's handle tagged. A post from when the deal was announced on December 30 has been liked more than 32.5 million times.
The Al-Nassr move comes after Ronaldo ended his relationship with Manchester United by mutual consent in November following a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan in which he was critical of new manager Erik ten Hag, the Glazer family and some of the squad’s young players.
The 37-year-old has signed a deal with Al-Nassr until 2025 but on Monday night it was revealed that a clause in the most expensive contract in the game’s history could see him return to the Premier League if Saudi-owned Newcastle United reach the Champions League.
Newcastle are third in the Premier League and are on course to feature in Europe’s premier club competition next campaign. Details of the clause were first reported by Marca .
The Spanish outlet claimed that Ronaldo could make a stunning loan move to St. James’ Park should Newcastle secure a top-four finish this campaign.
The Champions League’s record goalscorer, with 140, has previously said his main desire is to continue playing in the competition after United failed to qualify for this season’s competition.
But no European club had provided a substantial enough offer for him to join following his departure from United. Al-Nassr had previously tried to sign him last summer when it became clear that his future at Old Trafford looked bleak.
Ronaldo is undergoing his medical at Al-Nassr on Tuesday and is expected to be unveiled later this afternoon with the 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park stadium expected to be full. By that point Al-Nassr are likely to see their Instagram audience reach 8m.
