KUALA LUMPUR – Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly left Saudi Arabia last night, departing Riyadh aboard his £61 million (RM320 million) Bombardier Global Express private jet and landing in Madrid early today.
Flight-tracking data shows the 41-year-old Portuguese forward completed the nearly seven-hour journey over Egypt and the Mediterranean.
The Al-Nassr FC star, who lives in Riyadh with his partner, Georgina Rodríguez, and their five children, departed following the postponement of his team’s AFC Champions League quarter-final against Al-Wasl FC.
The match, originally scheduled for Wednesday in Dubai, was among eight fixtures across the Gulf region suspended by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) due to security concerns. Matches involving clubs from the East Region will continue as planned.
The disruption comes amid rising regional tensions after US-Israeli strikes reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, prompting Tehran to launch waves of missile and drone attacks.
Riyadh was targeted early today when two drones struck the US Embassy, causing minor fires and material damage but no reported injuries.
Ronaldo has scored 22 goals in 26 appearances for Al-Nassr this season and remains under contract until 2027.
His sudden departure highlights growing security concerns in the Gulf, coinciding with reports that many foreign nationals are leaving the region amid the escalating conflict.
This morning, the United States Department of State urged Americans to “depart now” from countries across West Asia due to serious security risks.
In a post on X (@CNN), the State Department’s top consular affairs official advised US citizens to use available commercial travel to leave 14 countries: Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel (including the West Bank and Gaza), Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
“Americans who require State Department assistance in arranging repatriation via commercial flights are asked to contact us 24 hours a day at +1-202-501-4444 (from abroad) or +1-888-407-4747 (from the US and Canada). Register at http://step.state.gov to receive the latest security information from the nearest US embassy or consulate,” said Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar. — March 3, 2026