CRISTIANO RONALDO LEAVES SAUDI ARABIA FOR MADRID AMID MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS

March 3, 2026

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By Aishat Momoh. O.

Al-Nassr captain and forward Cristiano Ronaldo has departed Saudi Arabia for Madrid, Spain, following escalating tensions in the Middle East after US-Israeli strikes in Iran.

According to the Daily Mail on Tuesday, the 41-year-old left Riyadh late Monday night aboard his £61 million ($81 million) Bombardier Global Express 6500 private jet. Flightradar24 confirmed the flight departed Riyadh at 8:00 p.m. and landed in Madrid around 1:00 a.m., following a route over Egypt and the Mediterranean.

Ronaldo resides in Riyadh with his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, and their five children. The departure comes amid regional unrest, including drone strikes on the US Embassy in Riyadh and the reported destruction of an Iranian command and staff building in Bahrain.

The Saudi Ministry of Defence said the embassy attack caused a limited fire and minor material damage. The developments follow US-Israeli military strikes in Iran on February 28, 2026, which reportedly killed several Iranian leaders. Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was among those killed, declaring 40 days of mourning and a seven-day national holiday.