Al Alami, which translates to “The Global Club,” is the nickname of Cristiano Ronaldo’s new team, Al Nassr. The Saudi Arabian team, however, was ill-equipped to manage the unexpected surge in global attention that followed one of the most dramatic acquisitions in soccer history.
Before Ronaldo, Al Nassr was referred to be the “Global” club
Since Al Nassr still doesn’t have an English-language website, many fans had trouble finding information on Ronaldo’s contract after the announcement last Friday.
Following the end of discussions, two straightforward images from Madrid were posted on the club’s Twitter account. The news was not updated on the English language stream for another ten minutes.
Nearing a week after the agreement, Al Nassr’s social media profiles have improved for western audiences, but its website is still exclusively available in Arabic. The number of followers on its Instagram account has increased from 1.2 million to 9.6 million and counting.
Al Nassr is having to swiftly catch up with its newfound reputation since Ronaldo gave it fast popularity outside of Asia.
To handle the unexpected surge of media inquiries, a third-party public relations agency has been hired, and Ronaldo also has access to his own publicist.
Tuesday’s presentation at the club’s 25,000-seat Mrsool Park included a stage-managed news conference where no questions from the in-person media were welcomed.
Al Nassr earned its moniker after the 2000 Club World Cup in Brazil, as it made history as the first Asian team to compete internationally. The previous Al Hilal stadium, where Al Nassr plays, was also mentioned in connection with a Ronaldo transfer. Fans of Al Nassr have even another cause to rejoice at his arrival—that.
Before his introduction, they formed a line in the rain to get a first look at the 37-year-old forward. They screamed his name loudly as he entered the field wearing the club’s yellow and blue uniform and his No. 7 on the back of his jersey.
The signing, according to Al Nassr president Musalli Almuammar, was more about improving the image of the club and Saudi soccer than it was about winning championships.