Cristiano Ronaldo is finally set to make his long-awaited debut in Saudi Arabia.
He does at a time considered to be one of the "most oppressive" periods in the history of the Middle Eastern country. Civil rights activists are imprisoned, mass executions continue to take place, women face severe restrictions on their lives and the regime has launched scores of allegedly illegal air strikes in the war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia's attempts to improve its image through the use of sportswashing is well known, with Ronaldo's move to the country being the latest in those attempts. It is a trend that has been noted and picked up by Human Rights Watch, who believe the Saudi regime is using sporting events as a deliberate strategy to create a better image of itself.
