Al Nassr has now many fans in Kolkata after Cristiano Ronaldo signed for the club and several of them want to go to Saudi Arabia to see CR7 play in that country’s professional league.
Football fans in Kolkata, like thousands of others across the world, are looking up on social media about Al Nassr’s match dates in the Saudi Pro League and have started following the club on social media for more information about Ronaldo.
Some of them are planning to visit Riyadh to watch Ronaldo play in February or March. Among them is a fan who has watched Ronaldo play in the World Cup but was heartbroken after the former Manchester United star was replaced in a match against Uruguay.
There are some who had missed Ronaldo’s matches and others who have never seen him play from the stands.
“I have seen Messi play in five matches, including in Doha during the World Cup, but my dream of watching Ronaldo’s magic from the stands has not been fulfilled,” said businessman Rajdeep Chakraborty, a resident of Ballygunge on south Kolkata.
During his student days in England in 2009, Chakraborty had gone to see a FA Cup match between Manchester United and Chelsea, hoping to see Ronaldo in action.
“But he did not play because of an injury,” Chakraborty said. “Now I am determined to see Ronaldo play. The venue is nearer home and I am looking up flight fares and match dates. I am trying to get tickets of two back-to-back matches so I do not miss Ronaldo.”
IT professional Joydeb Bhattacharya likes Messi but is a bigger fan of Ronaldo.
“I could not go to Qatar because of some family issues. Now I am planning to watch the Al Nassr match on February 17 or March 2,” said Bhattacharya, a Tollygunge resident.
Kasba resident Saroj Patra said he was heartbroken to see Ronaldo sit on the bench while Portugal was playing against Uruguay.
“I am a die-hard fan of Ronaldo. I will fly to Riyadh and see him play,” he said.
Tour operators have already started getting requests for Al Nassr match tickets and packages.
“I have written a mail to Al Nassr club, seeking rights to match tickets. We are receiving queries from fans and hope the demand will rise,” said Avijit Das, director, Hermes Voyages.
Al Nassr, which signed a two-year contract with Ronaldo, had to postpone its Thursday’s Pro League match against Al-Ta’ee. The club said the match was postponed because of rain, which affected power supply to the stadium.
Ronaldo would not have been eligible for the match because of a two-match suspension by the English Football Association.
