Cristiano Ronaldo unleashed madness today upon his arrival in Tehran, where Saudi Al Nassr will face Iranian Persepolis tomorrow in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League, the continent’s biggest competition.
When he arrived at the airport, Iranian authorities presented him with a Persian rug, one of the country’s cultural symbols.
At the same time, hundreds of fans were waiting for him at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport, as well as along the road leading to his hotel.
Hundreds of fans ran after the bus carrying the Portuguese, chanting and waving the players’ jerseys in the air, according to Iranian television.
His hotel was surrounded by hundreds of fans, who came to occupy the lobby while chanting “Ronaldo, Ronaldo.”
The Portuguese are in the Persian country to face Persepolis tomorrow in a match on the first day of group E of the AFC Champions League.
Saudi clubs play in Iran again
The Saudis returned to play on Iranian soil after Riyadh and Tehran agreed in March to normalize their diplomatic ties, which had been broken for seven years.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Tehran in 2016 after attacks on its diplomatic headquarters in that country followed the execution in the Arab kingdom of a prominent Shiite cleric.
In all those years the Saudi and Iranian teams played on the soil of third countries, something that ended with the joy of Persian football fans.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
