Srinagar: Fans in Iran’s capital city Tehran went crazy on the arrival of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo with his Al-Nassr team for the AFC Champions League match against Persepolis.
Al-Nassr will be preparing to take on the Iranian club at the Azadi Stadium on Tuesday night.
Fans in large numbers followed Al-Nassr from the airport to the hotel where they were seen doing Ronaldo’s trademark celebration “Siiuuu” as they surrounded the bus.
As if that was not enough, the fans followed the bus to the hotel where the team was staying and were seen climbing a mountain to see the 38-year-old at the hotel.
Ronaldo, 38, is one of the most popular personalities in the world. He is the individual with the most followers (605 million) on Instagram.
Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in January 2023 on a big-money contract opened the way to hundreds of footballers as we saw some of the biggest names like Karim Benzema, Neymar, Riyad Mahrez, Sadio Mane and others making their way to the Gulf country.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s move also helped in promoting football in the Middle East.
Apart from Ranaldo, Neymar will be arriving in India to participate in Al-Hilal’s group-stage game against Mumbai City F.C.
Al-Nassr is in Group E with Persepolis FC, Al Duhail SC and Tajikistan’s FC Istiklol.
Persoplis FC is the most successful Iranian club and have a massive fan following. However, Tuesday’s match will take place behind closed doors due to a ban imposed by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over some license regulations.
AFC Champions League is the highest tier of Asian club competitions where top teams from all over Asia play each other.