Image: RONALDO/INSTAGRAM
The Cristiano Ronaldo’s effect is already being felt in Asia as numbers of his new club Al Nassr skyrocket to new margins.
A crosscheck done by this writer indicates that Ronaldo has managed to help his Saudi Arabian club accumulate over 8 million followers on Instagram.
Ronaldo was officially announced as an Al Nassr signee on December 31, 2022, and from then football fans have been following his new club in numbers.
He joined the Saudi club at a time they had over 800K followers on Instagram and now they have over 8 million people.
At the same, Ronaldo is the most follower person on Instagram with over 500 million people.
He joined Al Nassr as a free agent on Friday after leaving Manchester United following a controversial interview in which he criticised the club.
The Portugal captain, 37, said he had offers from clubs in Brazil, Australia, the United States, and Portugal.
"I gave my word for this club," he said at his unveiling on Tuesday.
"I won everything, I played for the most important clubs in Europe and now it is a new challenge in Asia."
Ronaldo is reportedly set to receive the biggest football salary in history at more than £177m per year in a deal that runs until 2025.
"As nobody knows, I can say now I had many opportunities in Europe, many clubs in Brazil, Australia, the US, even in Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me," Ronaldo told reporters at his first media conference.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was greeted with applause and shouts of his trademark 'Siu' celebration as he spoke. He answered questions from a club official but took none from reporters.
Speaking about his contract with the nine-time Saudi Pro League champions, Ronaldo said: "This contract is unique but I'm a unique player, so for me it's normal.
"I know the league is very competitive, I saw many games. I hope to play after [Wednesday] if the coach thinks there's a chance. I'm ready to keep playing football."
Following the media conference he posed in his new Al Nassr kit on the club's pitch in front of thousands of fans.
