Ronaldo effect causes fever in Saudi Arabia

Ronaldo is a media superstar. Everywhere he went, the whole world watched. Ronaldo creates a big effect. The name CR7 has not shown any signs of cooling down. Ronaldo’s debut on January 3 attracted the attention of the world’s media, even, according to Goal, overshadowing the funeral of the legendary Pele in Brazil. A crowded press conference room in Riyadh is unprecedented.

“I have to say, I’m surprised by how many people are here today,” said Al Nassr coach Rudi Garcia. “Usually, there are only three or four journalists here to get information before the game.”

Ronaldo Effect

Of course, Mrsool Park has no seats left. Everyone wants to see Ronaldo. The former MU striker may have mistakenly called Saudi Arabia for South Africa, but the debut of Al Nassr can be considered “the most impressive performance”. CR7 says things to share. He affirmed the influence on the next generation, changing the perception of Saudi Arabian football.

Ronaldo is not interested in the talk of the transfer. He confirmed to refuse many offers to play for Al Nassr. In response, the whole auditorium gave the former MU star big applause. Some journalists even greeted Ronaldo by shouting ‘Siu’ in the familiar celebration style of the 37-year-old star. Understandably there was great excitement following Ronaldo.

Four years ago in Italy, the same thing happened. At that time, the Ronaldo effect was everywhere. The words ‘Il colpo del secolo’ (Deal of the century) flooded. Ronaldo’s name appeared on the front page of every newspaper in Italy.

In the 24 hours after Ronaldo landed in Turin, Juve’s various social media accounts added 2.2 million followers. The numbers continued to rise over the following 18 months.

The appearance of Ronaldo also made the number 7 shirt sold out. Ronaldo makes the Juventus shirt more valuable.

Just six months after Ronaldo arrived in Turin, the “Bianconeri” reached an agreement on a new seven-year sponsorship deal with apparel manufacturer adidas, worth €357 million, double the value of the sponsorship package. previous support. In November 2019, Juve extended its partnership with main sponsor JEEP for 42 million euros, an increase of 25 million euros compared to the original agreement.

However, Marco Bellinazzo, author of ‘La fine del calcio Italiano’ (The end of Italian football) shared with Goal at the time: “The Ronaldo effect is real. Everyone sees it. But the problem is For Juventus, there is an increase in costs, not just revenue.”

“The first year of Ronaldo, Juve lost 40 million euros despite the fact that the club earned more than 150 million euros. The bottom line is that by signing Ronaldo, Juve must continue to grow and continue to win,” Mr. Bellinazzo emphasized. strong.

Ronaldo does not stop scoring. However, both financial and sports projects of Juve failed. The pandemic was such a big blow that Juve lost millions of euros in revenue on the day of the match. However, the Covid-19 crisis also revealed the fragile nature of the club’s financial situation.

Finally, Ronaldo’s move to MU in 2021 eases the financial pressure on Juve. Ronaldo leaving is the best option for both.

Challenge for Ronaldo

So what does Juve’s failed Ronaldo project have to do with Saudi Arabia? Despite the significant differences, there are still similarities. The deal in both deals isn’t just about sporting success.

Former Juventus president Andrea Agnelli admitted the team calculated the commercial side when signing Ronaldo. Al Nassr clearly do not need the 37-year-old striker to attract sponsorship but they want to exploit the CR7 brand. President Musalli Al-Muammar admitted: “The agreement is not limited to football.”

He added that Ronaldo’s presence helps bring “more success to the club, Saudi sport and future generations”.

In the age of influencers, Al Nassr has certainly just signed a most influential name. Nowadays, more young people follow football players than clubs. At that time, Saudi Arabia’s football began to be noticed, but maintaining it would be much more difficult.

Ronaldo says he wants to break more records in the Saudi Pro League. But the goalscoring records here seem to carry no weight, meaning they are unlikely to generate the same level of excitement as before.

Like his debut on January 3, Ronaldo’s early games will likely attract interest from the world outside of Saudi Arabia but one wonders how long it will last.

Ronaldo is paid crazy remuneration, but this is also a gamble when he is no longer fit for European football. The failure of the 2022 World Cup shows that Ronaldo’s ability is dying, which means that the “Ronaldo effect” is also at risk of disappearing.

When Ronaldo joined Juve, fans trusted Serie A to return to its glory days. But it didn’t happen. Ronaldo is a great player and a big name commercially, but he can’t work miracles. In the case of Serie A, the individual Portuguese superstar cannot single-handedly revive the league that has been degraded due to poor management policies for decades.

With Saudi Arabia, commercial contracts are not the problem. But the standard of the tournament is lower than that of Serie A. So it is difficult for Ronaldo to turn Saudi Arabia into one of the most attractive destinations for the continent’s top players, no matter how much he breaks. many records.

Ultimately, the success of the Ronaldo deal is not measured by goals or trophies. It all revolves around whether Saudi Arabia won the right to host the 2030 World Cup or not. According to Goal, that is the main purpose of the agreement.

Then, the true power of the “Ronaldo effect” will be exposed. Ronaldo did not come to Saudi Arabia just to play football. He has a mission to develop Middle Eastern football with many challenges ahead.

Xiaofeng | 18:15 05/01/2023