Credit: Twitter
Cristiano Ronaldo has become a huge icon in Saudi Arabia, ever since his move to the Middle East in January 2023. He was signed by Al-Nassr, which participates in the Saudi Pro League, for a reported salary of almost $200m. Since then, many top players in the European Leagues have migrated to play in Saudi Arabia.
One such instance of Ronaldo’s craze in the country was seen when a picture of Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic bicycle kick was painted inside a stadium in the country. The painting was seen at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, which belongs to Al-Ittihad. It should be noted that Al-Ittihad share a fierce rivalry with Al-Nassr, which is Ronaldo’s club. Despite such a bitter rivalry, his painting has been painted on a wall in the stadium.
A video went viral on Monday, which showed the painting in the stadium. In the video, Ronaldo’s ex-teammate Karim Benzema can be seen walking onto the pitch alongside Fabinho and defender Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti. The bicycle can be seen behind these men in the video.
Watch the video here:
Ronaldo's gravity-defying goal is often referred to as one of the best goals ever seen and was awarded the best goal in the UCL in 2018. It occurred on April 4, 2018, during the 64th minute of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final match between Real Madrid and Juventus. The ball was passed by Daniel Carvajal, which came near Ronaldo’s chest and nobody expected it to be a goal. But Ronaldo jumped backward, executed the bicycle perfectly and the ball went straight into the right corner of the goalpost, thus doubling the lead for Madrid.
Due to this goal, the Los Blancos qualified further into the UCL and even went on to win the title. The goal was also adjudged as the ‘Best goal of the season by the UEFA’. The then-Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane was also shocked after seeing the stunning goal.
Watch the video here:
The 38-year-old has completely changed the face of the Saudi League. He has scored 17 goals for Al-Nassr so far in just 22 games. He almost carried the club to the title in the previous season but fell short on the very last day of the league. In this season too, he has scored three goals in just two games. He is an integral part of the club and highly crucial for its success.
