Cristiano Ronaldo to make Saudi debut in friendly against PSG, named captain of Riyadh ST XI

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his Saudi debut in a friendly against Paris St. Germain (PSG) after he was named as captain of Riyadh ST XI.

The 37-year-old forward will lead a team comprising players from Saudi sides Al Hilal and Al Nassr against PSG, which includes world champion Lionel Messi.

Riyadh ST XI features Saudi internationals Salem Al-Dawsari, who scored in the shock group-stage win over Argentina in the 2022 World Cup, and Saud Abdulhamid.

The much-anticipated clash will take place in Riyadh on Thursday. Reportedly, more than 2 million online ticket requests have been made.

Moreover, the bidding for a VIP “Beyond Imagination” ticket to the match has topped 10 million riyals (USD 2.66 million) in an auction which will end on Tuesday.

Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr after mutually parting ways with Manchester United following an explosive interview, missed the first two matches for Al-Nassr due to a suspension imposed by England’s Football Association for knocking a phone out of a fan’s hand in April.

Ronaldo joined the Arab team earlier in January on a deal estimated to be worth more than 200 million euros (USD 216.34 million) until 2025. He will make his first competitive appearance in the Saudi Pro League when Al Nassr host Al Ettifaq on Sunday.

“Thank you Riyadh for the warm welcome! Look forward to seeing you at the stadium tonight,” Ronaldo said after joining Al Nassr on Instagram.

“I’m a unique player. It’s good to come here, I broke all the records there (in Europe) and I want to break a few records here. I’m coming here to win, to play, to enjoy, to be part of the success of the country and culture of the country,” he added.