As many fans ramp up the football transfer window, the whole internet gets involved when Ronaldo decides to transfer teams! His move to Juventus generated more than 3.5 million searches in one day, as did his move to Al Nasr FC. Interest in Ronaldo’s move reached almost 26,000,000 searches on the day of the announcement, enough to fill 350 stadiums at Old Trafford.
But the most interesting aspect of the story was the comparison of the data with a search for his name in Arabic.The statistics clearly showed how much the Arab world invested in the transfer compared to a move to Juventus or Manchester United as it was a transfer that affected them directly.
Besides his soccer league, Ronaldo is not just a former soccer player but a celebrity with millions of loyal fans. Its massive online presence has seen Al Nasr gain nearly 12 million subscribers since its move, which is sure to have a huge impact on the brand’s offering, audience and ticket sales.
There is also a clear correlation between increased social media presence and increased ticket demand when searching for “Al Nasr Tickets”; 7,000 searches per month shortly after Ronaldo’s move. This is a 1200% increase from the previous peak of around 600 searches per day.
More than just a football transfer
On 30 December, Ronaldo became the highest-paid player in football history, signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with Al-Nasr, which will see him earn £173 million ($210m) per year, according to The Athletic.
It would certainly be a worthwhile investment as they could capitalize on the increased attention the league gets by selling more tickets and merchandise, investing in more profitable brands in advertising and even creating more spectator sports such as He played against the French company PSG.
However, bringing a top player like Ronaldo to the Saudi league was less about financial return and more about accelerating Saudi’s Vision 2030. and Europe” according to the Saudi government’s official website…
A notable aspect of Vision 2030 is to modernize Saudi culture and change public perception of Saudi as a country and as a tourist destination. This should attract more tourists and investors to the country and eventually allow them to see spectacles like the 2030 World Cup, which they want to start bidding for with Egypt.
Cristiano Ronaldo. Just a piece of a much larger puzzle
The Saudi league is also linked with a few other stars like Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and Eden Hazard who will ensure that the league continues to attract interest from the football world. Al-Nasr’s move for the Portuguese star was a small part of a much larger plan to revolutionize football in the Middle East to ensure the sport is in line with the Saudi leadership’s Vision 2030.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s next match for Al Nasr in the Saudi Pro League is against Al Wahda on February 7. You can watch Al Wahda vs Al Nasr, Real Madrid vs Al Hilal, AS Monaco vs PSG, West Ham vs Chelsea, Arsenal vs Brentford, and AC Milan vs Torino, all provided by our football live game pages.
Al-Nassr next game:
Al-Wahda vs Al Nassr kick-off time (09-02-2023):
Beijing (China) | UTC/GMT+8: 02:00
India (New Delhi) | UTC/GMT+5.30: 23:30
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh) | UTC/GMT+3: 20:30
Italy (Turin) | UTC/GMT+1: 18:30
Spain (Madrid) | UTC/GMT+1: 18:30
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | UTC/GMT+0: 17:30
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | UTC/GMT-3: 14:30
New York (United States) | UTC/GMT-5: 12:30
Los Angeles (United States) | UTC/GMT-8: 09:30
Sources: ronaldo7.net / theathletic.com / goal.com / time.com