Fact Check: Did 3 Billion People Watch Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr Presentation in Saudi Arabia?

Cristiano Ronaldo, a famous football player, signed with the Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr in the early hours of December 31, 2022.

Ronaldo, who is 37 years old, agreed to a two-and-a-half-year deal worth $75 million with the club.

Cristiano Ronaldo made his presentation as a new player for Al Nassr, the football club based in Saudi Arabia, on January 3, 2023.

The presentation took place at the King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, and was attended by a large number of fans and media.

According to the report obtained and confirmed by MandyNews.com, he was introduced as “the world’s greatest footballer” in front of 25,000 enthusiastic spectators with fireworks displays, flares, and strobe lighting.

Ronaldo, who is one of the most famous and successful footballers in the world, joined Al Nassr after spending over 18 months with England club Manchester United.

At the presentation, Ronaldo spoke about his excitement at joining Al Nassr and his ambition to help the team achieve success. He also posed for photos and signed autographs for fans.

Following this, a photo of Ronaldo waving his hand was shared by a Portuguese journalist on Twitter, claiming that the presentation ceremony of Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr Football Club reached 3 billion views on 40 channels around the world.

Fact Check Says: Mostly false

Claim:

“The presentation ceremony of Cristiano Ronaldo at AlNassrFC reached 3 billions views on 40 channels around the world. While FIFAWorldCup Final in Qatar had 2 billion views overall.”

Conclusion:

There has been a claim circulating online that 3 billion people watched Cristiano Ronaldo’s presentation as an Al Nassr player. However, upon further examination, it appears that this claim is highly exaggerated and not supported by evidence.

It is highly unlikely that 3 billion people watched Cristiano Ronaldo’s presentation as an Al Nassr player. According to the latest estimates, the total number of people in the world is around 7.9 billion, and not all of them have access to television or the internet, which are the primary ways in which the presentation could have been watched. In addition, the presentation likely did not receive widespread coverage and was not broadcasted in many countries. It is more likely that the actual number of viewers was much lower than 300 million.

And there’s no way on earth Ronaldo’s presentation can outnumber the views of the World Cup.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup, which took place in Russia, was watched by a huge global audience. According to FIFA, the tournament reached a total of 3.572 billion viewers, with 1.12 billion of those viewers watching the final match between France and Croatia. This was the highest total audience for any World Cup, surpassing the previous record of 3.32 billion viewers for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The 2018 World Cup also had a strong digital presence, with a total of 7.35 billion video views on social media platforms during the tournament.

A report on the total viewership for the Qatar 2022 World Cup is expected to be released in the near future, and it is likely to surpass the previous record for World Cup viewership. Stay tuned for updates on the final numbers.