On Tuesday, January 3rd, Cristiano Ronaldo made his official presentation as a Saudi Al-Nasr football player – and more viewers than the World Cup final watched the event. According to reports, Ronaldo’s presentation was broadcast on 40 different TV channels worldwide, and its audience eventually crossed the billion mark achieved during the World Cup final in Qatar.
The 37-year-old Portuguese striker joined the Saudi club at the end of December and signed a contract until June 2025. He will reportedly earn more than 200 million euros yearly at Al-Nasr, including advertising contracts. The World Cup final in Qatar, in which the Argentina team beat the French team in penalty shootouts, was watched by 3 billion viewers on 40 channels.
In comparison, Ronaldo’s presentation at Al Nasr was watched by nearly 3 billion viewers. The impressive turnout for Ronaldo’s presentation indicates the immense popularity of the Portuguese star, whose career has spanned over two decades. It also demonstrates the strength of the soccer star’s following base since he remains one of the world’s most prominent sportsmen.
Ronaldo’s career has won numerous awards, including five Ballon d’Or awards, five Champions League titles, and three Premier League titles. He is also the all-time leading goalscorer for both Portugal and Real Madrid. With Ronaldo having recently joined Al Nasr, the club will surely benefit from his massive popularity and will likely see an uptick in its followers. It will be intriguing to watch whether Ronaldo’s returns can help the club achieve success on the pitch and attract more viewers to their matches.