Al-Nassr star Ronaldo calls Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea his ‘second home’, describes AlUla as ‘spiritual’

Al-Nassr star Ronaldo calls Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea his ‘second home’, describes AlUla as ‘spiritual’
Al-Nassr superstar Ronaldo calls the Red Sea his ‘second home.’ Above, Ronaldo with his family in the tourist spot Red Sea. (Instagram: @georginagio)
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Updated 07 September 2024
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Al-Nassr star Ronaldo calls Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea his ‘second home’, describes AlUla as ‘spiritual’

Al-Nassr star Ronaldo calls Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea his ‘second home’, describes AlUla as ‘spiritual’

DUBAI: Portuguese football star Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr, said that it was easy for him and his family adapting to Saudi Arabia after signing with the Saudi football club to a two-and-a-half-year contract.

“To be honest, I am really happy to be there [Saudi Arabia],” Ronaldo said in an interview former Portuguese footballer, Rio Ferdinand.

“For me the adaptation was easy, and I really love it to be there,” he said. “It is a lovely country; I love to be there; my family loves to be there.”

Ronaldo was one of the first top-name recruits to the Saudi Pro League at the start of 2023, which paved the way for entry of other big-league players from Europe.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner began his club career with Portuguese side Sporting CP before joining Manchester United in 2003. Ronaldo moved to Spanish La Liga giants Real Madrid after six seasons at United. He then played for two years with Juventus before making a return to the Red Devils in 2021 where he played until 2023, before departing for the Saudi Pro League.

Ronaldo became the first man to score 900 career goals after tapping in the ball at the 34th minute of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League group stage match against Croatia in Lisbon, which they won 2-1.

The Portuguese football star called Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea his “second house,” adding that he loves to spend time there with his family.

“The Red Sea which is my second home or [even my] first home is unbelievable like a diamond,” he said, adding that it is “one of the most beautiful places” he has ever been to.




Above, Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez explore AlUla. (Instagram: @georginagio)

Ronaldo also spoke on AlUla, an increasingly famous tourist spot in Saudi Arabia’s northwest located near two oases, Khaybar and Tayma.

“It is beautiful because it is spiritual, you can feel the energy there. I felt it as well, to be honest,” the Portuguese star said.

“Even in the mountains they have snow. People in Saudi [Arabia]? Yes, they have snow. They have everything, so it is a lovely country.”


Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad honored with testimonial match

Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad honored with testimonial match
Updated 18 sec ago
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Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad honored with testimonial match

Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad honored with testimonial match
  • Special game set to take place in Jeddah

JEDDAH: Saudi footballing legend Khalid Musaad will be honored with a testimonial match on Nov. 12, celebrating 15 years of service with Al-Ahli, Al-Ittihad, and the Saudi Arabian national team.

The match will feature Al-Ahly of Egypt and is set to take place in Jeddah.

The Charitable Association for Athletes’ Welfare announced the event on Sunday during a press conference at King Abdullah Sports Stadium.

Nassar Al-Dhaheri, the chairman of the board of directors for the association in the Makkah region, said: “The match is a tribute to one of Saudi Arabia’s greatest football legends, Khalid Musaad, whose retirement in 2004 has long awaited this recognition.”

He acknowledged challenges had delayed the testimonial but expressed pride in organizing the event.

Al-Dhaheri also highlighted the importance of recognizing athletes who had represented their country on the international stage.

He thanked both Al-Ahli of Saudi Arabia and Al-Ahly of Egypt for their cooperation in making the event possible. Proceeds from the match will go toward supporting charitable programs for athletes, reflecting the association’s commitment to its goals.

The press conference included a documentary showcasing Musaad’s illustrious career and achievements, both locally and internationally.

The Charitable Association for Athletes’ Welfare announced the event on Sunday during a press conference at King Abdullah Sports Stadium. (Supplied)

In addition to the match between Al-Ahli and Al-Ahly, there is an exhibition game featuring Saudi legends and Musaad’s friends scheduled for the same day.

Musaad expressed gratitude for the efforts that had gone into making the event happen.

He said: “The support I’ve received over the years has been incredible, and I’m deeply thankful to the fans. I’m thrilled that my retirement match will finally happen and I hope everyone enjoys the event on Nov. 12.”

His former teammate Khalid Al-Khawaji said: “I’m delighted that Musaad is receiving this well-deserved honor. He is a phenomenal person and a true professional.”

Musaad featured at Al-Ahli before moving to Al-Ittihad and finally retiring in 2004.

He earned 115 caps for the Saudi national team, participating in the World Cup in 1994 and 1998. His honors include helping to win the Asian Youth Cup in 1985 and 1986; the 1986 Gulf Cup; and playing in the Confederations Cup in 1992, 1995, and 1997.


Lee and Tavatanakit return to Riyadh with hopes of emulating past glories at Aramco Team Series

Thai golfer Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh. (Supplied)
Thai golfer Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh. (Supplied)
Updated 9 min 2 sec ago
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Lee and Tavatanakit return to Riyadh with hopes of emulating past glories at Aramco Team Series

Thai golfer Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh. (Supplied)
  • “Winning in Riyadh last year was a career highlight for me. The energy and support was incredible, and I felt like everything came together perfectly on the course”: Lee

RIYADH: Alison Lee and Patty Tavatanakit are set to go head-to-head as this season’s Aramco Team Series, presented by the Public Investment Fund, draws to a close at the Riyadh Golf Club.

American Lee, who represented Team USA in the 2024 Solheim Cup, will return to the star-studded event from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 as the defending individual champion.

It follows her record-breaking triumph in 2023 in Riyadh, which was sealed when she carded a final-round 65 to finish 29-under-par, setting a new 54-hole scoring record on the Ladies European Tour.

“Winning in Riyadh last year was a career highlight for me. The energy and support was incredible, and I felt like everything came together perfectly on the course,” she said.

“I’m looking forward to bringing that same energy and focus to this year’s event as it’s always special to return to a place where you’ve had such a memorable win. I’m excited to see what this year has in store,” she added.

Thai golfer Tavatanakit, the World No. 22, said she has a strong connection to Riyadh, having won the Aramco Saudi Ladies International presented by PIF on the same course earlier this year. The victory was her first since 2021, and she now returns with confidence, eager to replicate her success.

“Lifting that trophy earlier this year in Riyadh was a huge boost for me and a very emotional win,” said Tavatanakit. “It felt like a turning point in my career and gave me the confidence to win another title straight off the back of it.

“Coming back to the same course is something I’m really excited about and I’m ready for the challenge.”

Organized by Golf Saudi, the five events on the Aramco Team Series add an annual $5 million in prize money to the LET, taking its innovative team format to four continents across the year.

The series brings together teams of three professionals and one amateur.

Stops in Tampa, Seoul, London, and Shenzhen have crowned international winners including Ireland’s Leona Maguire, Korean Hyo-Joo Kim, and Alexandra Fosterling of Germany already this year, ahead of the tournament arriving back in the Saudi capital.


England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return

England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
Updated 26 min 4 sec ago
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England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return

England captain Stokes in line for second Pakistan Test return
  • The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs
  • England spokesman says Stokes practiced with the team on Sunday and if declared fit, he will likely replace Chris Woakes

MULTAN: England captain Ben Stokes looks on course to return for the second Test against Pakistan, starting in Multan on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old had missed the first Test which England won under stand-in skipper Ollie Pope by an innings and 47 runs on Friday.
An England team spokesman said Stokes practiced with the team on Sunday. If Stokes is declared fit, he is likely to replace Chris Woakes.
“Ben bowled about four overs at full pace today. He has done some high intensity running and had about a 45-minute batting session in the nets,” said the spokesman.
“He will be assessed after today and a decision will be made on his availability over the course of the next 24 hours.”
England normally name their team two days before the start of a Test, but will wait until a final verdict on Stokes’s fitness on Monday before announcing their side.
Stokes tore his left hamstring while batting during the Hundred domestic competition in August which forced him to sit out of England’s 2-1 home series win over Sri Lanka last month, also led by Pope.
The third and final Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24.


Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire

Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire
Updated 13 October 2024
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Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire

Bowlers’ graveyards: Pakistan’s placid pitches under fresh fire
  • England piled up 823-7 last week in Multan on wicket described as a “road” by ex-cricketer Michael Vaughan 
  • Pakistani pitches have become more docile in past 2 years, each Test wicket now costing an average of 42.13 runs

MULTAN: Australia pace legend Dennis Lillee denounced a pitch in Pakistan as a “graveyard for bowlers” in 1980, but more than 40 years later little has changed.
Lillee vented his anger after toiling for 21 wicketless overs in Faisalabad in a turgid draw.
All 11 Australian players, even wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, had a turn bowling in Pakistan’s second innings of 382-2 in reply to Australia’s 617 all out as the game petered out into near farce.
Last week, on a wicket described as “a road” by former captain Michael Vaughan, England rewrote the record books as they piled up 823-7 declared in reply to Pakistan’s 556 in the first Test in Multan.
The total was the fourth highest single innings in Test history.
Harry Brook plundered 317 at almost a run a ball and Joe Root became England’s highest Test run scorer during his career-best 262.
Their stand of 454 for the fourth wicket was an England record, the fourth highest in history and the most by any pair playing overseas.
Despite the lifeless pitch, England’s bowlers pulled off an innings and 47 run victory after Pakistan crumbled to 220 all out in their second innings.
It gave Pakistan an unwanted record — the first team to score 500 or more and lose a Test by an innings.
England batting great Kevin Pietersen said on X that the lack of help for bowlers in Multan, where the second Test begins on Tuesday, was “helping destroy Test cricket.”
It is a “perennial problem,” former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram told AFP. “For years it has been the same old story. Very rarely we used to get green and lively pitches in the 1990s and had to bowl long spell for wickets.”
Rashid Latif, a former Pakistan captain who has studied pitch preparation, said there was no need for the pitches to be curated so overwhelmingly in the batsmen’s favor.
“We can prepare good pitches but our mindset is negative,” Latif told AFP.
“There was good grass on the Multan pitch but it was shaved off, I don’t know on whose wishes.”
Former spinner and ex-selector Tauseef Ahmed, a member of Pakistan team who played in the infamous 1980 Faisalabad Test, said: “Our batters want a flat pitch to score runs.
“Even in domestic matches we have such pitches so that players score big and get prominence.”
The last two years has seen Pakistan pitches get even more docile. Each Test wicket there now costs an average of 42.13 runs, the highest anywhere in the world.
Pitch preparation is a science, with experts saying the ideal soil mix is around 60 percent clay with less sand, such as that found in Australia.
It produces firm and bouncy tracks which begin to take more spin over five days, providing a balance between ball and bat.
One local groundsman said pitches were a big problem in Pakistan.
“There are multiple factors from weather to interference from the team management who want it to suit them,” said the curator, who did not want to be named.
“That makes the process complex. A good pitch needs sun to bake it but in some weather we do not get that,” he said.
“A Test pitch needed to be cared for six months or a year but our pitches are over-used so they become flat.”
Latif said serious work was needed to lift the standard of pitches.
“There should be a research department under a good geologist to ascertain how a good pitch can be prepared,” said Latif.
He also wanted to see Australian Kookaburra balls used in Pakistan ditched for those with a more prominent seam to help bowlers.
“We need to have Grays, Duke or SG balls for our type of clay, which are hand-stitched,” said Latif.
Two years ago, Pakistan and Australia scored 1,187 runs with just 14 wickets taken in a soporific draw in Rawalpindi.
The then Pakistan cricket chief Ramiz Raja blasted the playing surface: “We live in the dark ages of pitches in Pakistan. This is not a good advert for Test cricket.”
With the second Test starting in Multan Tuesday and the third in Rawalpindi next week, it seems unlikely the bowlers will get any respite soon.


MOD UAE fighters continue to dominate on day 2 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

MOD UAE fighters continue to dominate on day 2 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
Updated 13 October 2024
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MOD UAE fighters continue to dominate on day 2 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

MOD UAE fighters continue to dominate on day 2 of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
  • Round 4 of national competition concludes on Sunday at Zayed Sports City Complex in Fujairah

FUJAIRAH: The fighters of MOD UAE continued their impressive performances on the second day of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship — Round 4 (Gi), taking first place at the Zayed Sports Complex in Fujairah and maintaining their lead for a second straight day.

Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club secured second place, while Baniyas Jiu-Jitsu Club finished third.

With competitions across the youth and children’s categories, the event drew about 850 male and female competitors from clubs and academies throughout the UAE on Saturday. The competitions for the boys U-14 and U-16 will be held on Sunday.

Sheikha Al-Kaabi, a member of the Federal National Council, expressed her pleasure at attending the championship and participating in crowning the champions.

“Jiu-jitsu has become a part of every household in the UAE, and is increasingly popular among children and families. We are confident that the future holds even greater success for Emirati jiu-jitsu athletes,” she said.

Ibrahim Al-Hosani, technical director of jiu-jitsu at Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club, said: “Our club had a strong presence today, with 135 male and female athletes from our team, all of whom performed exceptionally.

“The level of talent displayed by these young athletes at such an early age is remarkable. Their precision, skill, and execution are outstanding, reflecting the efforts of our clubs and academies. They have not only promoted the sport but have also developed a new generation of champions,” he said.