Small stadiums, high temperatures: what Ronaldo can expect in Saudi

After lighting up football's biggest stages, Cristiano Ronaldo faces a very different reality in Saudi Arabia with smaller stadiums and less exalted teams -- and some very high temperatures.

Featured Image

Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo greets the crowd alongside his children at the Mrsool Park Stadium in the Saudi capital Riyadh on January 3, 2023, upon his presentation as an Al-Nassr player. -- Photo: Fayez Nureldine / AFP

2023-01-17 17:45:36

After lighting up football's biggest stages, Cristiano Ronaldo faces a very different reality in Saudi Arabia with smaller stadiums and less exalted teams -- and some very high temperatures.

Ronaldo, 37, says he's embracing the "challenge" of the Saudi Pro League, a step into the unknown for a player who is more used to Real Madrid's heaving Santiago Bernabeu stadium or the "Theatre of Dreams", Manchester United's Old Trafford.

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