Ronaldo set for hero's welcome in Saudi Arabia

Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will be greeted by thousands of adoring fans in Riyadh after sealing a move to Saudi Arabia's Al Nassr.

The 37-year-old, who won the Ballon d'Or five times and whose great rivalry with Lionel Messi dominated world football for well over a decade, will be paraded at his new club's Mrsool Park stadium after jetting in with his entourage late on Monday.

Ronaldo signed his estimated 200 million euros ($211 million) deal to June 2025 just weeks after his departure from Manchester United, following a TV interview where he slammed the club and coach Erik ten Hag.

"See you soon, Nassr fans," Ronaldo said on the plane, in a video posted on Al Nassr's Instagram account.

Ronaldo arrives just weeks after the World Cup in neighbouring Qatar, and as Saudi Arabia considers a joint Asia-Africa-Europe bid to host football's biggest tournament with Egypt and Greece.

Thousands of fans are expected to pack the 25,000-capacity Mrsool Park after the club received more than 130,000 requests for tickets for the unveiling, priced at 15 riyals ($4) with revenues going to charity.

Live coverage of Cristiano Ronaldo's unveiling is available on beIN SPORTS' Arabic Twitter account: