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Reactions As Cristiano Ronaldo Calls Saudi Arabia ‘South Africa’ In Embarrassing First Al Nassr Press Conference [Video]

Cristiano Ronaldo said the wrong country during his very first Al Nassr first press conference on Tuesday by calling Saudi Arabia ‘South Africa’ and some fans on Twitter are not having it.
Ronaldo was officially unveiled as an Al Nassr player after jetting out to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and undergoing a medical.
Prior to being presented to 25,000 fans at Mrsool Park, Ronaldo took part in a media conference and discussed why he decided to make the move to the Middle East.
He emphasized his desire for a new challenge after conquering European football and claimed he gave Nassr his word despite offers from clubs around Europe, Brazil, Australia, and the United States.
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But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner made a huge blunder in front of journalists and the hundreds of thousands watching all around the world when he called Saudi Arabia ‘South Africa’.
Ronaldo said: “For me it’s not the end of my career to come into South Africa, this is what I want to change – and to be honest I don’t really worry about what the people say.”
Saudi Arabia really just paid Cristiano Ronaldo $200m to say he’s excited to play in ‘South Africa’ 😂😭 pic.twitter.com/wGegzyphE5
— JAKE BUCKLEY 🇦🇺 (@TheMasterBucks) January 3, 2023
The two nations might have letters in similar positions but they are not even in the same continent. Of course, Ronaldo’s gaffe became a huge talking point amongst fans on social media.
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Below are some reactions from fans on Twitter:
One user wrote: He doesn’t even know which country he’s in, can’t get any better than this
Another tweeted: “WAIT….Does Cristiano Ronaldo think Saudi Arabia is in South Africa?”
Another commented: “From being applauded after every answer even after calling Saudi Arabia South Africa to so-called journalists ‘siuuuuuuuing’ at the end, that Cristiano Ronaldo presser was embarrassing.”
A third said: It is very absurd to ignore all the positives that happened and all of Ronaldo’s talk, and focus on a simple mistake in less than a fraction of a second. Indeed, this is what we call the eye of the fly.
A fourth added: “Turned on the TV and momentarily saw the Cristiano Ronaldo press conference, welcoming him to Al-Nassr. Pretty sure in those literal 5 seconds, he said he was in ‘South Africa’. It’s going well then.”
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A fifth weighed in: “”For me it’s not the end of my career to come to South Africa” Cristiano Ronaldo off to a great start with the Al Nassr press conference…”
Another said: “Did Cristiano Ronaldo just call Saudi Arabia..South Africa..they bout to come after him.”
While another wrote: He does not know that he is going to a small club in Saudi Arabia that does not play in the AFC Champions League
Ronaldo also looked a little embarrassed at the end of the press conference when journalists did his ‘SIUU’ cry, with many branding the scenes “pure cringe”.
The 37-year-old is in line to earn a whopping £170 million per season with Al Nassr and his contract includes being an ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s 2030 World Cup bid.