Ronaldo mixes up South Africa and Saudi Arabia after Al Nassr move

At his archetypal property league successful Saudi Arabia pursuing his multi-million dollar determination to articulation Al Nassr, shot prima Ronaldo alternatively embarrassingly got the sanction of his caller big state wrong.

"It's not the extremity of my vocation to travel to South Africa," helium said, successful an earnest dependable against a backdrop proudly proclaiming "Saudi invited to Arabia".

While it was evidently a gaffe of the tongue, it hasn't stopped immoderate South African shot fans dreaming of seeing 1 of the world's astir celebrated stars playing for their section team.

And the South African tourism authorization is inactive hoping that Ronaldo volition amusement up astatine the Moses Mabhida stadium, built successful the coastal metropolis of Durban for the 2010 World Cup.

South Africa's Phakaaathi quality tract described it arsenic a "stunning blooper", portion its shot exertion Jonty Mark commented: "Saudi Arabia and South Africa whitethorn person the aforesaid archetypal astatine the commencement of each portion of their respective name, but it is inactive much than a small bizarre that Ronaldo couldn't prime the close state successful his archetypal presser."

But arsenic tweeter @NVMakhanye pointed out: "😀 You don't request to cognize the sanction of the state to marque €200 cardinal 😀... Anyways, invited to South Africa Ronaldo 😜"

His reported yearly wage of $200m (£177m) is believed to marque him the world's highest-paid footballer.

While they can't person been happy, the Saudi officials astatine the property league didn't question to close Ronaldo and it hasn't seemed to fuss his caller Saudi fans, who gave him a thunderous invited arsenic helium appeared successful Al Nassr's yellowish and bluish kit astatine his caller location ground, Mrsool Park.

Most tweeters successful the Arab satellite besides overlooked his gaffe, with @alasiri_555 commenting successful Arabic: 'Nothing incorrect with that. Everybody makes mistakes."

BBC Arabic shaper Ahmed Rouaba says the absorption of astir tweets has been connected football, with Al Nassr fans expecting him to triumph games for them - and assistance the nine and country.

Al Nassr didn't look excessively bothered, tweeting: "Everyone is blessed contiguous 😁💛"

And it besides posted a video of Ronaldo arriving successful Saudi Arabia, conscionable successful lawsuit anyone thought helium truly was successful South Africa:

As for Ronaldo, helium is looking guardant to his caller beingness successful the oil-rich kingdom.

"In Europe, my enactment is done. I've won everything. I've played successful the astir important clubs successful Europe. And present for maine is simply a caller challenge," helium said.