The Saudi Arabian Championship, where he is due to make his debut on January 22, is a leap into the unknown for the 37-year-old Portuguese striker, used to playing at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu and Old Trafford, the " Manchester United's Theater of Dreams.

His arrival in the Gulf country was facilitated by a fabulous fee: 200 million euros to join Al-Nassr, and as much to be the future ambassador of the probable Saudi candidacy for the 2030 World Cup, according to sources close to the club.

But the change is significant for the five-time Ballon d'Or and five-time winner of the Champions League, who will have to attend modest venues like that of Al Batin, with only 6,000 seats!

The Saudi Championship, the Saudi Pro League, opposes 16 teams and will take it from Dammam, on the Gulf coast, to Jeddah, on the Red Sea, passing through the provincial towns of Majma'ah or Hofuf, in the middle of the desert.

If Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, the giants of Saudi football, have 62,000-seat stadiums, some teams have more basic infrastructure, welcoming less than 10,000 supporters and fields sometimes surrounded by athletics tracks.

30 degrees in the evening

The stadiums are not all in their "best condition", concedes Moqbel al-Zabni, editor of the sports newspaper Al-Riyadiah, adding that they are not always "full to bursting" either.

"The crowds that Ronaldo is used to don't exist" in the kingdom, he said.

For its debut on Sunday, "CR7" will play at Mrsool Park, a 25,000-seat stadium in the capital Riyadh, where the public was however present during its presentation to fans at the beginning of the month.

The Portuguese striker's shirt at Al-Nassr on sale on January 2, 2023 in Riyadh, the Saudi capital © Giuseppe Cacace / AFP/Archives

The Portuguese star will probably not have to crisscross the immense desert country by car, Al-Nassr generally chartering planes, but she will have to face the scorching heat of the Gulf.

The championship season, which runs from August to May, avoids the summer temperature peaks, regularly exceeding 40 degrees.

Most matches are played in the evening, but even in the evening, the thermometer can show more than 30 degrees, between March and September.

"The climate will be a challenge for Ronaldo," said Saleh al-Khalif, deputy editor of Al-Riyadiah.

With Ronaldo, Al-Nassr will hope to clinch their first victory in the Asian Champions League, to join their great rivals, Al-Hilal and Al-Ittihad, crowned on several occasions.

Not a "health walk"

If the Saudi league is not that of England, Spain and Italy, where Ronaldo has spent most of his career, it is a competitive league, with six different winners in the last 14 years .

It will not be "a walk in the park" for Ronaldo, says Saleh al-Khalif.

The Saudi Pro League has 128 foreign players, with each team allowed to have eight.

Cristiano Ronaldo presented by the Al-Nassr club in front of 25,000 fans at Mrsool Park, January 3, 2023 in Ryad © Jorge Ferrari / Al Nassr Football Club / AFP / Archives

At Al-Nassr, coached by Frenchman Rudi Garcia, Ronaldo will play alongside Colombian David Ospina, a former Arsenal and Nice goalkeeper, and Brazilian midfielder Luis Gustavo, a former Bayern Munich and Marseille player.

His first mission will be to keep the club at the top of the standings and secure their first title in four years.

But his opponents will be very motivated to stop him.

"Ronaldo is a legend (...) all the teams will play to beat (him)," said Saleh al-Khalif.

© 2023 AFP