Al Nassr will start their continental journey away from home against Iranian team Persepolis. It will be the first match for Al Nassr in the AFC Champions League and will take place at Azadi Stadium in Tehran.
This is the first time since 2015 that Saudi Arabian and Iranian clubs will face each other in the AFC Champions League as their diplomatic relations have been restored. The arrival of Ronaldo and the possibility of him playing in Iran also adds a certain factor to it.
Fans knew if they wanted to get a proper sighting of Ronaldo they needed to come up with another way as the match was set to be played without any spectators due to the Iranian club facing a ban by the AFC due to a controversial 2021 online post by Persepolis before a match against an Indian team FC Goa.
Fans flocked in during Al Nassr’s training session in large masses. Fan gatherings during training sessions are not something uncommon as they normally tend to be at a limit and the session is not interrupted but due to the massive uproar of the crowd just to see Ronaldo caused Al Nassr to call off the training session completely.
🚨The city of Tehran prepares to receive Al Nassr 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/HL22yA2UFl
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) September 18, 2023
Cristiano Ronaldo was angry with the situation as the match that would take place was going to be a competitive match and we all know that Ronaldo has a winner’s mentality.
How did the fans react to Al Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in Iran?
There is no doubt about the Portuguese’s massive fan following. The soccer star is the most followed person on Instagram and fans have frequently bypassed stadium security to meet with the player on the field. Iranian fans also could not stop themselves from gathering around the hotel where the Al Nassr team was staying. Fans chanted ‘Ronaldo’, ‘Ronaldo’ as they entered the Espians Palace Hotel with the security being left helpless to control such a massive crowd.
Ronaldo in Iran… crazy! pic.twitter.com/06epMaCuf1
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 18, 2023
Ronaldo was given a “King’s” welcome by the Iranian higher officials as fans filled the streets with Ronaldo kits, banners and posters. Al Nassr has also posted a video showing fans running behind the team bus just to catch a glimpse of Ronaldo. Overwhelmed by the response, Ronaldo opened his bus window but immediately had to close it due to the massive uproar.
Ronaldo also received a traditional Persian rug as a welcoming gift which delighted him. Tehran was also not shy of welcoming one of soccer’s biggest stars with a large hoarding on their highway.
Fans on the streets also did the “Sui” celebration because of the arrival of the 5-time Ballon D’or winner. Some fans even tried to follow Ronaldo and get on the elevator that would take them to Ronaldo’s suite but the security was much tighter as they were part of an “elite unit” there and hence were able to prevent them.
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