Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al Nassr colleagues arrived at a hotel in Tehran on Monday, and hundreds of fans flocked there in the hopes of catching a sight of the Portuguese superstar before the first group stage Asian Champions League match between a Saudi team and Iran since 2016.
Swarming the Espians Palace Hotel and chanting “Ronaldo, Ronaldo,” fans overpowered the police and filled the lobby and hallways. Kids wore Ronaldo-branded Al-Nassr and Portugal jerseys.
Later tonight in Tehran, Al Nassr will take on Persepolis. The rematch will take place on November 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Only recently, with the resumption of diplomatic ties and the blessing of the AFC, have games between the two countries become feasible.
The last time Saudi and Iranian teams competed against one another in a group stage or knockout round of the Asian Champions League was in 2015. Games have previously been played on neutral ground, but relations have recently warmed enough to allow this to change.
Several images were published by Al-Nassr showing Ronaldo being presented with an expensive Iranian carpet by fans of the Persepolis football club.
“Welcome to Iran, Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo. The lovers of Persepolis wrote to express their gratitude and enclosed a unique hand-woven artwork created by Iranian artists to remember your visit to Iran.
