Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated Saudi Arabia’s Founding Day with his Al Nassr team mates by donning Arabic clothing, joining in an Ardah dance and even brandishing a traditional sword.
The former Man Utd and Real Madrid star was seen enjoying cultural activities in a video shared by new club Al Nassr.
Founding Day is a national holiday in Saudi Arabia and is celebrated in the kingdom to commemorate the country’s founding in 1727 by Imam Mohammed Bin Saud.
Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates Saudi Founding Day
Al Nassr shared photos and videos of Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates enjoying the activities.
As well as the squad of players, the majority of whom are Saudi Arabian citizens, manager Rudi Garcia was spotted beaming for the cameras.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al Nassr in January on a reported $214m a year contract. At his official unveiling, Cristiano Ronaldo spoke of his desire to raise awareness of Saudi Arabia on and off the pitch. He said: “I gave my word to this club, not only to develop the football, but other parts of the country.
“For me it’s a good challenge. I know what I want, I know what I don’t want. For me it’s a good chance to help with my knowledge and experience to grow many important points.
“I want to give a different vision of the country, of the football, of the perspective of everybody. This is why I’m here and why I took this opportunity.”
Sharing an insight into Saudi Arabia’s Founding Day celebrations and Arabic culture with his more than 550m followers on Instagram, Ronaldo has shown aspects of the Kingdom’s history on an enormous platform.
The post read: “Happy founding day to Saudi Arabia. Was a special experience to participate in the celebration at @alnassr_fc!”
In the video Ronaldo can be seen drinking Saudi coffee, wearing a white thobe and smiling for the camera after donning a decorative gold and blue daglah.
Ronaldo and other members of the Al Nassr squad watched a traditional Ardah performance with swords and singing.
The iconic sports star was later pictured with the Saudi flag draped around his shoulders.
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