Ronaldo shows love for Saudi Arabia amid tension with Portugal national team

Cristiano Ronaldo has expressed his support and love for Saudi Arabia in a gesture following Al Nassr's 3-1 victory over Neftchi Fergana in the AFC Champions League Elite.

The match at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh on Monday was delayed by an hour due to a security alert across the city. The incident occurred following reports of missile attacks by Houthi from Yemen and the interception of a drone.

According to Portuguese media, prior to the match, the 41-year-old superstar was seen kissing the national crest featuring a palm tree and two swords on his Al Nassr jersey. After the final whistle, he draped a scarf bearing the Saudi Arabian flag over his shoulders and joined his teammates in their usual applauding routine with the supporters, Goal reported.

Al Nassr's official Arabic social media account posted a photo of Ronaldo wearing the national colors with the caption: "I am Portuguese, but I belong to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

The English account also posted an image of him celebrating with the scarf, noting: "A piece of Saudi, carried close to the heart."

The caption echoes Ronaldo's words from an interview with Al Nassr media in June 2025, following his contract extension until 2027.

"As I have said many times, I'm Portuguese, but I belong to Saudi Arabia," he said, as quoted by Gulf News.

Ronaldo has remained the prominent face of Saudi football since his high-profile arrival in January 2023.

On the pitch, Ronaldo also enjoyed the victory. Al Nassr completely dominated possession and opened the scoring in the 33rd minute through Angelo Gabriel. Ronaldo doubled the lead in the 42nd minute with a precise finish after being assisted by Ayman Yahya. The strike brought his career goal tally to 981, leaving him just 19 goals shy of the 1,000-goal milestone.

While Neftchi pulled one back in the 51st minute, their hopes faded after Ikromjon Alibaev received a straight red card in the 65th minute. Al Nassr sealed the 3-1 victory in the 78th minute when Neftchi defender Anvarjon Gofurov scored an own goal.

The heartfelt gestures come at a time when questions have been raised about his future with the Portugal national team following a recent fallout with coach Jorge Jesus. At the moment, his focus remains on Al Nassr and the country he has called home for nearly four years.