The Cristiano Ronaldo Effect: Fan Engagement in the Saudi Pro League is Up by More Than 4,000 Percent
The Saudi Pro League (SPL) is reaping the rewards for the coup of signing Cristiano Ronaldo with Al-Nassr, as the league’s profile has grown significantly since his move to the Middle East.
The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward was the first significant name to move to the SPL when he joined Al-Nassr at the tail end of last year on a mouthwatering £173million-per-year deal.
His move triggered the domino effect of more superstars moving to the Middle East. Sadio Mane, Neymar, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, and Jordan Henderson have all moved to Saudi Arabia as SPL clubs have invested around £750 million in the transfer market.
Data from LiveScore, which provides real-time updates to more than 50 million users monthly, the arrival of Ronaldo has been a boon for the SPL as fan interest has surged in the aftermath. LiveScore’s statistics indicate that there has been a 4,403 percent growth in fan interactions with the SPL over the last year.
Ronaldo has been impactful at Al-Nassr, grabbing 25 goals in 30 appearances, contributing to a 1,636 percent increase in visits to Al-Nassr’s LiveScore page, from 576 in August 2022 to 942,713 in 2023.
The data shows that the Ronaldo effect is growing, and the entry of other household names will only increase it, contributing to the growing profile and interest in the SPL globally.
