Ronaldo hasn’t exactly had a great start to his career with Al-Nassr. However, several opposition fans have begun taunting him with the name of Lionel Messi, his great rival. So far, he has failed to score in both of his two appearances for the Saudi team. He only has only one shot on goal so far.
In midweek’s Saudi Super Cup semi-final defeat to Al-Ittihad, he was jeered in the stands after Al-Nassr’s disappointing first match over the weekend.
Saudi Arabia plans on bringing more stars like Ronaldo
Following his release from Old Trafford in November, Ronaldo signed a two-and-a-half-year deal worth $75 million per season as a free agent. In what may be Ronaldo’s final encounter with Messi, Ronaldo did get himself on the team sheet in a recent friendly. Ronaldo’s Saudi All-Star XI lost 5-4 to Messi’s PSG.
Sportswashing in Saudi Arabia is still in full swing, says Amnesty International’s UK economic affairs director Peter Frankental. According to Amnesty, this match is evidence of Saudi Arabia’s attempts to gain legitimacy through sport. This is done in order to distract attention from its “appalling” human rights record.
The huge transfer of Ronaldo to Al Nassr and Messi’s appointment as a tourism ambassador are both parts of Riyadh’s aggressive sports washing program. This aims to distract attention from the country’s appalling human rights record. Exploiting the celebrity appeal of elite sport, they focus on diverting the media attention from their dark pasts. The Saudi businessman who purchased an ‘Ultimate Pass’ to attend the match paid around £2 million for it.
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