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Paul McNamara

Tom Bell

The excitement generated by Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence in Hong Kong this week can be attributed not only to his fame but to how long fans have waited to see him play in the city.
Their first opportunity to do so may also be the last, with Ronaldo now 40 years old – even if he has shown little desire to slow down since his arrival at Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr two years ago.
His time in Riyadh has followed a familiar pattern of goals and yet more goals, a theme through his rise to fame at Manchester United, a decade of dominance at Real Madrid, a less well regarded spell in Italy with Juventus and a doomed return to United.
Ronaldo’s acquisition as the kingpin in Saudi Arabia’s sporting outreach, when he joined Al-Nassr in 2023 in a deal that reportedly paid him north of £175 million (US$237m) per year, is described now by the club’s CEO Jose Semedo as a “game-changer for Saudi football”.

Fans revere him for his dedication, athleticism, longevity and startling self-belief. And there are plenty of fans: he has the most Instagram followers in the world, with about 662 million.
He has scored an astonishing 938 career goals, including a men’s international record 138 for Portugal.
The winner of five Ballon d’Or awards and five Champions Leagues, Ronaldo has come a long way from the scrawny teenager plucked from Sporting Lisbon after he terrorised Manchester United in a 2003 pre-season friendly.
Remembering that night in the Portuguese capital, the former United and England centre-back Rio Ferdinand said: “We got in at half-time and John O’Shea must’ve needed an oxygen tank.
“We were telling him to get closer to Ronaldo and he couldn’t even answer us. To be fair, me, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt were standing there going, ‘this kid’s unbelievable, we’ve got to sign him’.”
Real Madrid later signed Ronaldo for a then world record £80 million in 2009. Carlo Ancelotti, his manager for two years at Real, said the forward was “a great talent physically and technically”.
“He complemented these characteristics with unique seriousness and professionalism,” Ancelotti added.
Three years with Juventus from 2018 yielded two Italian titles, but not the Champions League he was signed for roughly £99 million to deliver. He scored 101 goals, but faced gripes about him disturbing the equilibrium of a team founded on organisation and resilience.
Gianluigi Buffon, the Juventus goalkeeper, reflected: “I worked with CR7 for two years and we did well together, but I think Juventus lost that DNA of being a team.”
During his second coming with Manchester United, experienced observers suggested Ronaldo had become a liability. The Portuguese left under a cloud after telling Piers Morgan in a controversial television interview that he did not respect United’s manager Erik ten Hag.
Ronaldo has flourished with Al-Nassr and his shadow looms over this week’s Saudi Super Cup in Hong Kong. Admirers have flocked to his hotel in hope of a meeting, and in some cases spent exorbitant sums to stay there themselves.

And the secret to his longevity? Semedo, who was a Sporting Lisbon youth teammate, called Ronaldo “a bible for those who dream of being a professional footballer”.
“He looks after himself … he gives spectacular performances year in, year out,” said Semedo, who felt from knowing Ronaldo at 11 that “he was something out of this world”.
“He thought differently from us,” he said. “We all had pictures of our idols above our beds … he had nothing, because he never saw them as superior.
“We’d watch David Beckham and he would say, ‘He’s good, but you’ll see, I’ll play for Manchester United and be better than him.’”


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Cristiano Ronaldo trains in Hong Kong ahead of this week’s Saudi Super Cup. Photo: Handout

Ronaldo is at the forefront of Saudi football’s expansion. Photo: X/AlNassr FC

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Sport

Football

As the Portuguese plays in city for first and potentially last time, those close to him assess his appeal


As the Portuguese plays in city for first and potentially last time, those close to him assess his appeal.


Cristiano Ronaldo

Al-Nassr

Carlo Ancelotti

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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As the Portuguese plays in city for first and potentially last time, those close to him assess his appeal

As the Portuguese plays in city for first and potentially last time, those close to him assess his appeal