Ronaldo scored twice as Al Nassr won the AFC Champions League in Qatar | Football News

Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar – On a chilly night in Qatar, thousands of football fans flocked to the Al Bayt Stadium to catch a glimpse of one of the world’s biggest sporting icons – Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese international, 39, and his Saudi football team Al Nassr were in town to face Qatar’s Al Gharafa Sports Club in an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite Group B match on Monday.

Although the stadium was 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Qatar’s capital Doha, with a weekend kick-off of 7pm (16:00 GMT) and less competition for ordinary football fans in these parts, the event attracted 37,000 spectators, or 12 percent of all the people of the Gulf region.

‘Ronaldo, can I take your shirt?’

Among them were several thousand loyal fans of Al Gharafa and several hundred traveling supporters who support the visiting team – but most were spectators who only came to see Ronaldo, who is undoubtedly one of the most famous, charismatic and famous people in the game of the century. 21.

The most successful among the fans were the waves of children of different ages, nationalities and football loyalties.

Ronaldo’s jerseys from his various football clubs – from Al Nassr to Real Madrid and Manchester United, as well as the Portugal national team – were common in the Al Bayt Stadium, worn by children and adults alike. .

“I have been a fan of Ronaldo all my life, so I came to see him and ask him for his shirt,” Noufil Abdel Malik told Al Jazeera before kick-off.

Malik, just 12 years old, found a seat behind the Al Nassr bench and held up a sign asking for Ronaldo’s shirt.

Al Nassr’s star is highlighting the important victory of the AFC Champions League

Although no fans were lucky enough to be thrown Ronaldo’s shirt, manager Al Nassr paid attention to the spectators, putting on a show of victory with two goals as his Saudi club won 3-1 on. at night.

The result put Al Nassr on the verge of qualifying for the round of 16. The Saudi Pro League club need two points from their last three games to advance in the competition.

After the win, Ronaldo said that his fans, especially the young ones, became a major source of motivation to continue playing the international game, even after the evergreen player turns 40 on February 5.

“It’s my motivation to please the fans, especially the children as I have a few of my children at home,” Ronaldo told Al Jazeera in a post-match speech.

“The desire that children have is real. He loves football so I just try to do my best [for them]. Score goals and make my team win. “

‘Being in Qatar is always good’

The match marked Ronaldo’s return to Qatar for the first time since the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he led Portugal to the quarterfinals.

The 1.87m striker admitted his comeback was exciting as he added to his international tally of 915 goals for club and country.

“It’s always good to be back in Qatar,” he said.

“Seeing the interest people have in the club, the football and me. I’m happy that I managed to score two goals tonight and I’m going back to Saudi Arabia a very happy man.”

Harshveer Singh, a Ronaldo fan of eight years, was one of the thousands of Ronaldo fans who turned up at Al Bayt Stadium wearing Al Nassr’s blue and yellow kits emblazoned with Ronaldo’s name and number seven on the back.

“When I found out last week that Ronaldo would be in Qatar, I asked my father to bring me here,” Singh said.

“I’m excited to see him play live.”

Young fans were delighted to see Ronaldo live

Even the younger fans, many of whom may have gone to bed early, watched with rapt attention as Ronaldo showed his celebration as “siu” (translated as “yes” in Portuguese) echoed around the stadium.

Five-year-old Shahem al-Salem did not show sleep even at 9pm – the joy of watching Ronaldo’s experience from a few meters away kept the kindergarten student awake.

“I don’t think I will go to school tomorrow,” he said shyly while looking at his father who nodded happily.

In a match involving a Qatari club playing at home, the crowd unabashedly supported the visiting team and for most of the game, it seemed that neither the local fans nor the organizers seemed to be upset.

“Ronaldo has the power to bring people out of their homes and fill stadiums regardless of where he is playing,” said Abdallah Abdel Razeq, 18, from Lebanon, after the match.

“I can assure you that of the 37,000 people who were in the stadium, about 35,000 came to see him.”