It’s not hard to understand that Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence on the game is surreal. He is the highest-followed person on Instagram and the highest-paid athlete in the world. His exit from Manchester United was quiet, but he is still one of the most admired soccer players. Not only does he boast of goals, but provides off-pitch benefits. Ronaldo recently helped one of his former clubs achieve success with a special jersey that was launched.
The athlete’s move to Saudi has led to a seismic increase in the club’s followers, from 834,000 to 18.9 million in just over 8 months. He has been credited with inspiring many top-class players to consider soccer in Saudi. The Cristiano effect is still in full swing.
Cristiano’s ex-club achieves its all-time record
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In a recent move made by the maestro’s first club, Sporting Club de Portugal (Sporting CP) announced that it was launching its third kit for the season. This is not just a regular kit release, but a special kit dedicated to the legend himself, with his CR7 brand prominently displayed. The jersey was launched by Sporting CP in partnership with Nike and the deal is already a blockbuster. The jersey has become the club’s most-sold jersey of all time.
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President of Sporting Lisbon Verandas:
“Soon we will present impressive numbers. The third kit is the best-selling kit in the history of Sporting.”
CRISTIANO RONALDO EFFECT. pic.twitter.com/YNsPmCozhn
— CristianoXtra (@CristianoXtra_) September 8, 2023
The jersey was a hot item, with over 10,000 units sold on the first day alone. Available at the Nike website and official Sporting store, most of the orders received online were overseas requests. The exact number of sales has not been released yet.
It is a black colored jersey with golden sleeves and has CR7 written on the top right. The jersey looks nothing short of stunning. Fans were observed purchasing multiple jerseys in a single transaction.
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Last month Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami jersey became the highest-selling jersey for any athlete ever. Both Ronaldo and Messi have taken the sales of their respective merchandise to the pinnacle. Ronaldo always had a special place for his first club and never goes back in acknowledging it.
An homage to a 20-year-old masterclass
It was on September 29, 2002, that Ronaldo made his debut for Sporting CP. The magician only scored 5 goals out of 31 appearances for the Portuguese team. Sporting CP released the jersey as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Estádio José Alvalade, which marked the day Ronaldo showed his prowess. It was a friendly between Sporting and Manchester United where Sir Alex Ferguson eyed the teenage star.
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It is not the first time we have seen Ronaldo breaking numbers. The jersey from 2021 was a symbol of Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United, and it was eagerly snapped up by fans all over the world. Only a true legend would generate revenue for a club they left 20 years ago. The all-time leading scorer is deeply grateful to the club that made him, and this only makes us respect him more.
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