Riyadh Season 2023 is in full swing as the new Cristiano Ronaldo Museum opens its gates to the fans. The museum will take the fans through the incredible journey of Ronaldo from a pacey winger in Lisbon to a global icon in Riyadh with Al-Nassr.
Fans can follow the journey by being up close to various trophies, accolades, and jerseys that hold immense value in the career of the Portuguese forward. As per some of the videos released on social media by fans, there were various sections in the museum dedicated to different parts of Ronaldo’s life.
There was a part that focused on his childhood and several other parts that shared his experiences of playing for some of the biggest clubs in Europe like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. There are many memorabilia that fans can be up close with, including one of the five Ballon d’Or awards that Ronaldo won in his career.
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to new ‘Cristiano Ronaldo Museum’ in Riyadh.pic.twitter.com/O5hqNJXl0n
— ZEE⁷ 🇵🇹 (@FutbolZEE) November 22, 2023
The museum is another big step from Saudi Arabia to honor the legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo. Since his move from Manchester United, Al-Nassr and Saudi Arabia have been going over and beyond to honor the Portuguese forward for his impact off and on the field.
The museum is opened as part of the 2023 Riyadh season, which is an annual state-funded entertainment and sports festival. The festival aims to flock world tourists to one of the biggest cities in Saudi Arabia while improving the image of the city as an entertainment and tourist hub in the Arab world. As part of the promotion, Ronaldo was also announced as one of the ambassadors of the Riyadh season.
A new statue of Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled in the Riyadh Museum
As part of the opening of the museum, a new statue of Cristiano Ronaldo wearing the Al-Nassr kit was also unveiled in the Riyadh Museum. Ronaldo’s luck with the statues has never been great, and the story continued here as the new statue drew some negative reactions from fans.
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Cristiano Ronaldo’s statue from the dedicated museum in Riyadh.pic.twitter.com/ysXEEAnxfn
— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) November 19, 2023
There were a few shouts from fans that pointed out that the hair on Ronaldo’s statue wasn’t accurate, while others pointed out that his face was looking fat and unfit. Some even find some resemblance of Kevin de Bruyne and Neymar. There are numerous statues of Ronaldo around the world but this one will not rank higher in that list.
Apart from the statue debacle, the Riyadh Museum looks like a top-tier project that pays homage to the legendary career of Cristiano Ronaldo. Some early fan reactions rate this museum higher than ‘Museu CR7’ another Ronaldo’s museum that is situated in the city of Funchal on the Portuguese island of Madeira, the birthplace of Cristiano Ronaldo.