CR7 still the King of Saudi Arabia? Neymar booed by tennis fans as chants for Cristiano Ronaldo take over Rafael Nadal’s farewell tour

The Portuguese superstar has been in the Middle East since early 2023, when he completed a stunning move to Al-Nassr on the back of seeing his contract terminated at Premier League giants Manchester United. His presence has helped to raise the profile and appeal of sport in the region.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Household names aplenty have followed Ronaldo to the Saudi Pro League, including the likes of Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Neymar. The latter is now on the books of Al-Hilal, where he is working his way back from a serious knee injury.

  DID YOU KNOW?

  With no competitive game time on his schedule at present, Neymar has been taking the opportunity to experience live action across other events. He recently attended the boxing extravaganza headlined by undisputed light-heavyweight world champion Artur Beterbiev, before swapping ringside seats for courtside ones.

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  Neymar has been a regular at the ‘6 Kings Slam’ tennis event in Riyadh. When making a public appearance at the end of Rafael Nadal’s defeat to fellow Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer was jeered by some of those at The Venue – while chants of “Ronaldo, Ronaldo” could be heard in the crowd.

  WHAT NEXT?

  Ronaldo is still going strong with Al-Nassr at 39 years of age, with 50 goals recorded last season as he chases down 1,000 in total across his remarkable career. Neymar is yet to make a similar impression, with the South American playmaker seeing injury restrict him to just five appearances for reigning Pro League champions Al-Hilal.