Al-Nassr training has reportedly been cancelled due to the sheer amount of fanfare the fans in Iran over Cristiano Ronaldo being there.
The Saudi Arabian club are set to play Tehran-based side Persepolis in their opening AFC Champions League group stage fixture on Tuesday night and they’ve had quite the welcome.
Ronaldo has been a huge success in Saudi Arabia since his move to the club from Manchester United in January and the midfielder has arguably been the most revolutionary signing made by any of the Saudi clubs.
Videos released on Al-Nassr’s X feed showed fans running down the road in pursuit of their yellow team coach as excitement ahead of the fixture reached fever pitch.
Ronaldo, alongside former Liverpool winger Sadio Mane, has been superb so far in the Saudi Pro League and the pair’s linkup has meant the Saudi side are firmly in the title race with Al-Nassr currently four points behind Al-Hilal in the race for the Pro League title.
Fans will be banned from the stadium
According to the Daily Mail, Tuesday’s match at the 78,000-capacity Aazdi Stadium does come with some regrets for the locals, however, because it will be played behind closed doors.
This relates to a one-match stadium ban handed down to Persepolis for a social media post ahead of their match with Indian club FC Goa during the 2021-22 season.
So it seems fans are trying to see the Portuguese forward’s time in Iran will not be celebrated in the stadium with the fans banned from the stadium.
After rumours that the Saudi side would be kicked out of the AFC Champions League due to the ownership’s involvement with multiple clubs with Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal.