Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar – On a cool, late autumn night in Qatar, thousands of football fans converged upon the Al Bayt Stadium to catch a glimpse of one of the biggest sporting icons on the planet – Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese superstar, 39, and his Saudi football club Al Nassr were in town to face Qatar’s Al Gharafa Sports Club in an Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Elite Group B match on Monday.

Despite the stadium’s 50-kilometre (31 miles) distance from Qatar’s capital Doha, the late 7pm (16:00 GMT) weeknight kickoff and the competition’s relatively lower appeal to the average football fan in these parts, the event drew a staggering 37,000 spectators, or 12 percent of the entire population of the Gulf state.

Among them were a few thousand loyal Al Gharafa fans and a few hundred travelling supporters backing the visiting team – but a large majority were unaligned spectators who simply turned up for a rare glimpse of Ronaldo, who is, undoubtedly, one of the most recognisable, charismatic and iconic sports personalities of the 21st century.

Foremost among the fans were waves of children of varying ages, nationalities and footballing loyalties.

Replica Ronaldo jerseys from his various football clubs – from Al Nassr to Real Madrid and Manchester United, as well as his national team Portugal – were common across the vast stands at Al Bayt Stadium, worn by kids and adults alike.

Source: Al Jazeera 

BDST: 1325 HRS, NOV 26, 2024
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