Cristiano Ronaldo is making the most of his lavish lifestyle out in Saudi Arabia as he is currently occupying 17 suites at The Four Seasons hotel in Riyadh.
The 37-year-old made the switch to Al-Nassr earlier this month in a deal worth around £173million-a-year, which is the most expensive contract in world football. However, Ronaldo had to wait over two weeks to make his debut after serving a two-match ban for throwing a phone out of an Everton fan's hand while playing for Manchester United last April.
It meant Ronaldo's first game in Saudi Arabia was for an All-Star XI against Lionel Messi's Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday, January 19. The ex-Real Madrid star scored twice in that game as they fell to a 5-4 defeat, with Kylian Mbappe, Messi, Sergio Ramos and Marquinhos also on the scoresheet.
Three days later, Ronaldo would finally make his Al-Nassr bow in a Saudi Pro League clash with Ettifaq - a game they won 1-0 - but the forward failed to score with Anderson Talisca netting. Ronaldo also drew a blank in his second match for the club as they fell to a 3-1 defeat against Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Super Cup semi-final.
But despite his frustration in front of goal, Ronaldo is reportedly 'loving life' out in the Middle East. British magazine Tatler have given an insight into Ronaldo's lavish life in Saudi Arabia and it includes quotes from Piers Morgan, who spoke to the striker in that explosive interview last year.
"Thanks to the fall-out from our interview, Ronaldo signed the biggest transfer deal in football history, and is now the world’s highest-paid athlete, at the age of 37," he told me [Morgan] this week.
"He's also doing what he’s done throughout his career, and which for me gives him the edge over Messi, and that’s challenge himself in a new country, and new league, at a time when football in the Middle East is really taking off, as we saw at the Qatar World Cup where Morocco reached the semi-finals and Saudi Arabia beat the eventual winners, Messi’s Argentina."
Morgan added: "Ideally, I think he’d have preferred to play for another top club in the Champions League for a year or two, but Al Nassr made him a staggering offer.
"I think the fresh challenge of raising the profile of football in a new region of the world, at the twilight of his incredible career, really appealed to him."
Tatler revealed that Ronaldo, girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, and their five children have become the talk of the town since his move to Riyadh. Ronaldo is currently living a spectacular life as the couple and their entourage occupy 17 suites at The Four Seasons hotel at the 267-metre tall Kingdom Centre.
The building, which was visited by Saudi-owned Newcastle United in December, is reported to cost over £250,000-a-month. Ronaldo's family is said to be staying in the two-floor Kingdom suite, which has gold and marble accents throughout the rooms.
Meanwhile, Rodriguez made her social debut at the Joy Awards and it was a ceremony that far outweighed of famous actress Sofia Vergara who had been named 'Person of the Year'. Tatler report that Rodriguez has a big fan base in Saudi Arabia, similar to that of Ronaldo.
