Al-Nassr coach Rudi Garcia said the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo was a big step forward for Saudi Arabian football after the Portuguese forward arrived in Riyadh ahead of his official unveiling on Tuesday.
Ronaldo, who was a free agent following his acrimonious split with Manchester United in November, joined Al-Nassr last week on a 2-1/2 year deal estimated by media to be worth more than 200 million euros ($213.30 million).
“The signing of a player the size of Cristiano Ronaldo is extraordinary and contributes to the development of Saudi football,” said Garcia, who previously managed Lille, AS Roma, Olympique Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais.
“We are happy with his arrival. The first goal is to work so he can adapt to our team, to enjoy playing for Al-Nassr, and to entertain the fans.”
Ronaldo will be unveiled at Al-Nassr’s home ground Mrsool Park, where 25,000 fans are expected to turn up.
The club, who lead the Saudi Professional League (SPL), have seen the number of followers on their Instagram account increase by millions since they announced Ronaldo’s transfer.
The 37-year-old forward has scored 819 career goals and his arrival represents a coup for the Gulf country, which is looking to bring more big names to the SPL.
“We will support the rest of our clubs for qualitative deals with international stars soon,” Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, the country’s Minister of Sports, has said.
“Cristiano, welcome to your new home, welcome to SPL.”
($1 = 0.9376 euros)
Al-Nassr coach Garcia hails ‘extraordinary’ Ronaldo signing
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Al-Nassr coach Garcia hails ‘extraordinary’ Ronaldo signing
- We are happy with his arrival. The first goal is to work so he can adapt to our team, to enjoy playing for Al-Nassr, and to entertain the fans
Rhodes leads after second round of PIF Saudi Ladies International
- 2025 LET Rookie of the Year leads in PIF Global Series 2026 opener
- WiMENA panels gather trailblazing women to spark dialogue
RIYADH: England’s Mimi Rhodes backed up a stellar opening in round two of the PIF Saudi Ladies International at Riyadh Golf Club, moving into an outright lead and fending off advances from South Africa’s Casandra Alexander and Chizzy Iwai of Japan.
The 24-year-old, who was the Ladies European Tour’s 2025 Rookie of the Year, posted a score of 69 to move to an overall total of 11-under-par to lead by one.
Another former LET Rookie of the Year, Spain’s Carlota Ciganda, who now has 12 professional wins, sits one shot further back in tied fourth alongside Japan’s Rio Takeda. Eight players are tied for sixth and England’s Charley Hull lies four back from her compatriot alongside past champion Patty Tavatanakit.
Reflecting on her mindset, and how she has approached the week so far, Rhodes said: “Honestly, I was so excited. Having two months off competitive golf, it’s so long, but I just got back into the swing of things.
“Holing putts is my main goal out there and having the greens rolling really nicely is definitely an advantage for that. I’m just taking it chilled out there and being patient.
“I wasn’t putting too much pressure on myself, but obviously it’s a big event, one of the PIF Global Series, so I wanted to do well, and start with a cut made. I’ve done more than that. I think I can be proud of myself and now (I will) just see what happens. I’m happy.”
The second day of the event highlighted Golf Saudi’s investment in the future of women’s sport with the WiMENA (Women in Middle East and North Africa) panels, which included pioneering Saudi athletes such as Kariman Abuljadayel, the trailblazing sprinter who set a Guinness World Record for the 10 km open water row. Joining her were Razan Al-Ajmi, Saudi Arabia's first female skydiver, members of the Saudi national rugby team and other prominent Olympians and sports figures.
Ameera Marghalani, a pioneering female Saudi rugby national team member, said: “I want to see the support for sports grow exponentially across the country.
“My vision is to see more young girls and women joining the sporting community, not just in major cities but across every corner of Saudi Arabia.”
