BY OSABUOHIEN VIVIAN-ROSE
Acclaimed footballer, Cristiano Ronaldo has fled Riyadh for Madrid, Spain as the Asian Football Confederation suspended West Region matches amid the Iran war, following drone and missile attacks in the Gulf.
Ronaldo’s private jet left Saudi Arabia on Monday night for Madrid.8
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the Portuguese footballer’s Bombardier Global Express departed Riyadh at approximately 9 pm local time Monday (7 pm CET) and landed in Spain overnight on Tuesday after flying over Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, media outlets reported.
The 39-year-old Al-Nassr player left the country after his team’s AFC Champions League quarter-final against Al-Wasl was among the postponed matches. It was originally scheduled for Wednesday in Dubai.
Ronaldo lives in Riyadh with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and their five children.
Ronaldo has scored 22 goals in 26 matches for Al-Nassr this season. His contract with the Saudi club runs until 2027.
The AFC announced Sunday it was rescheduling all Champions League Elite Round of 16 first-leg matches in the West Region originally planned for 2-3 March, citing security concerns.
The federation said matches involving clubs from the East Region across all AFC competitions would proceed as originally scheduled.
Iran has targeted Saudi Arabia in recent days, with the country’s Ministry of Defense confirming on Tuesday morning that the US embassy in Riyadh had been attacked by two drones. The attack ended “in a limited fire and minor material damage to the building”.
It came after Iran struck Saudi Arabia’s Ras Tanura refinery, the world’s largest oil refinery, causing a spike in worldwide oil prices.
