Cristiano Ronaldo dons thobe and joins Saudi Founding Day festivities

By Ghulam Haider

On February 22, Saudi Arabia commemorated its Founding Day, which traces back to the establishment of the first Saudi state in Diriyah in 1727 AD by Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Bin Muhammad Bin Muqrin, the grandfather of the royal family.

As part of the Kingdom-wide celebrations, Al Nassr FC’s latest signing, Cristiano Ronaldo, took part in the festivities with his teammates, coach, and other club members at their home ground. The football club shared various pictures and videos of the event on their social media channels.

Ronaldo and his colleagues sported traditional clothing, including a pristine white Saudi thobe. They celebrated the occasion by dancing to Arabic music and embracing the local customs. Ronaldo even wielded a sword and draped a Saudi flag over his shoulders as he joined in with the traditional dancers.

The team joined a troupe of dancers who were performing traditional Ardah with swords and songs.

He was also seen wearing a navy blue and gold-printed daglah over the thobe. In one of the videos, the footballers were seen sipping traditional Arabic coffee.

The footballer also posted a video on Instagram and wrote: “Happy Founding Day to Saudi Arabia. [It] was a special experience to participate in the celebration at @alnassr_fc.