How Ronaldo mistook Saudi Arabia for South Africa in first Al Nassr interview

Five-time Ballon d’Or winner, Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a slip of tongue on his first day at work as an Al Nassr player.

Speaking at the first press conference preceding his official unveiling last Tuesday, he referred to Saudi Arabia, his new host country, as South Africa.

“The football is different, so for me it’s not the end of my career to come to South Africa. This is why I want to change, and to be honest I’m really not worried about what people say,” Ronaldo told the media in Riyadh, where the club is based.

He added: “I won everything, I played for the most important clubs in Europe and now it is a new challenge in Asia.”

Ronaldo later turned up at the club’s stadium in his traditional number 7 jersey and had a kick about on the pitch. He also formally met with his colleagues in the dressing room.

The Portuguese skipper, who had a poor outing at the 2022 World Cup was without a club at the time the tournament ended after Manchester United ended his contract following an interview he granted criticizing the past and present of the club.

He signed a world record two-and-half year contract with the Saudi club with a clause in the deal being that he will also support Saudi’s 2030 bid to co-host the World Cup along with Egypt and Greece.

Cristiano Ronaldo accidentally said he was playing in South Africa ????pic.twitter.com/2wjlh5giQ5

— SPORTbible (@sportbible) January 3, 2023