The stadiums where Cristiano Ronaldo will play in Saudi Arabia

After entering the world's most prestigious stadiums, Cristiano Ronaldo will now light up the lesser-known stadiums in Saudi Arabia with his presence. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner moved to Al-Nassr last January and signed a pharaonic contract that will net him 70 million a year in salary alone, not counting sponsorships and bonuses. However, the Portuguese, who has already made his mark with a poker at Al-Wehda, will find a completely different kind of football than the one in which he became a star during his career. Starting with the stadiums. Say goodbye to gigantic 60-70 thousand-seater facilities and hello to much smaller pitches like the unique King Abdullah International Stadium, which can hold up to 62,000 fans. Al-Nassr's own facility, the King Saud University Stadium, has a capacity of just 25,000. But in the Saudi professional league, Cristiano Ronaldo will also play in facilities with 6 thousand spectators.

The King Saud University Stadium

Cristiano Ronaldo will play his home matches at the King Saud University Stadium, a facility that can hold up to 25,000 spectators. It is located on the Riyadh University campus and its construction, which cost around 57 million dollars, was completed in 2014 and opened in 2015. The stadium is also called Mrsol Park and has a special feature: thanks to its metal roofing, it can appear in two different colours depending on the sunlight, earth brown or gold. The King Saud is a multi-purpose facility and also serves as a stage for wrestling matches and concerts. In 2019, it also hosted the Italian Super Cup final between Juventus and Lazio, which the Biancocelesti won 3-1.

The King Fahd International Stadium

Both the Saudi Arabian national team and Al-Hilal, the country's top team, play their matches at the King Fahd International Stadium, the largest and one of the oldest stadiums in the country. It can seat up to 67,000 spectators and was built in 1987 at the behest of Saudi King Fedh. It has one of the largest roofs in the world, with the iconic folds of Bedouin sails covering 47 thousand square metres of the stadium, and is built in a small basin, with the stands resting on natural slopes.

Inside, there is also the royal box, a mini-architecture with a canopy, and a restaurant. The stadium hosted the 2022 and 2023 Spanish Super Cup and the last Italian Super Cup, won by Inter Milan against AC Milan.

The King Abdullah Sports City Stadium

The King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah is the second largest stadium in Saudi Arabia with a capacity of around 62,000 spectators. It is an architectural gem, so much so that it was nicknamed 'The Jewel' and inaugurated in 2014. The roof is made of cantilevered trusses forming a series of isosceles triangles that reference the mosaic patterns of the Islamic tradition; geometric patterns that are part of the country's culture. The architects wanted to provide as much shade as possible for the spectators and chose a special type of grass for the pitch that could withstand the hot and dry temperatures of the location: Bermuda.

Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli, the two teams from the Saudi coastal city, play there, but it also hosted the WWE Royal Rumble in 2018 and the Italian Super Cup, which Juventus won 1-0 against AC Milan.

The King Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium

The King Abdulaziz Sports City Stadium is the stadium where Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first Saudi goal against hosts Al-Wehda. It holds around 38,000 spectators and has little to do with the three giants mentioned above. But in the very match in which CR7 scored four goals, an incredible and curious event occurred. During the match, the stands were invaded by thousands of locusts, but this did not discourage those present, who remained in their seats to enjoy the spectacle of the five-time Ballon d'Or winner.

The two smaller stadiums

Cristiano Ronaldo will also play in two stadiums with a very small capacity, however. These are the Al-Batin Club Stadium and the Al-Majma'ahSportsCityStadium, with capacities of 6,000 and 7,000 respectively. The former was only built in 2016 and is indeed a new and modern facility, while the latter was built back in 1990 and looks like a suburban pitch.