Cristiano Ronaldo Complains to Saudi Minister Over Absence of Al Nassr Fans After Loss to Al Hilal

Despite quashing an injury to play more than 90 minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo could not save Al Nassr from losing the Riyadh Season Cup to Al Hilal. This defeat marked Al Nassr’s 2nd straight loss of the season against their rivals. Turns out, Al Hilal’s domination was not just confined to the field. The fans vastly outnumbered the Al Nassr faithful in the Kingdom Arena stands. And CR7 did not hold back from pointing that out.

Shortly after the match, he received the runner-up’s silver medal from Saudi Minister Turki Alalshikh. Visibly irritated, the soccer veteran asked him, “Where is Al Nassr?“. Cristiano Ronaldo was repeatedly pointing at the stands and raising his concerns over the lack of support. CR7 seems to be right, as one could see the blue jersey-clad Al Hilal fans occupying most of the seats in the stadium. Anyhow, it is no surprise that Al Hilal fans outnumbered Al Nassr’s fans as the Kingdom Arena is Jorge Jesus and Co.’s home turf.

As the game panned out, Al Hilal made the most of their home advantage and won 2-0. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo couldn’t find the net and also picked up a yellow card. Sadio Mane also failed to help Al-Alami after coming off the bench. The lack of fan support remains a constant pain for the Riyadh club. Even while playing on their home turf, Al Nassr struggles to draw fans to the stands.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence fails to impact fan’s in-person attendance

The Knights of Najd averages a crowd attendance of only 20,615 viewers. This is significantly less than the average attendance for the games of English League One clubs like Derby County and Bolton Wanderers. It is unfortunate to note that Cristiano Ronaldo is facing this plight after spending much of his career in jam-packed stadiums such as the Old Trafford and the Santiago Bernabeu. Nonetheless, Al Nassr is not the only club struggling to fill stadiums.

READ MORE: Despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s Support, 2 Al Nassr Stars Banned For 3 Months: Reports

A match between Al Riyadh and Al Okhdood drew a mere 133 people to the stadium. Besides, the embarrassingly low match attendance is one of the many reasons why Jordan Henderson left Al Ettifaq for Ajax. The Saudi clubs notably struggle to get bigger crowds, despite spending heavily on some of the biggest soccer icons last summer.

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