The move that seemed a far-flung fantasy for the Saudi club, Al Nassr has been finalized and they have signed one of the best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo and Manchester United called it quits before the World Cup after his interview with Piers Morgan. Saudi club Al Nassr announced on December 31, 2022, that they had signed Ronaldo on a contract going up to $200m a year.
This move from Europe to the Arab country might have been very hard for Ronaldo, but it surely will be harder for his partner, Georgina Rodriguez, and their children. Ronaldo’s children who were growing up in Europe will find it fairly hard to adapt to the new conditions in the desert country.
Georgina, on the other hand, will find it more difficult as she has to abide by certain rules during her stay with her partner in Saudi. Saudi Arabia is an ultra-religious country that is home to two of the most sacred sites of the Islamic world, Makkah and Madina. Let’s take a look at the rules Georgina has to follow in Saudi:
Clothing
The Arabian countries are well known for the dresses of their women as well as their women. The use of abaya, a long cloak-like dress that is a loose garment and covers the whole body, is the traditional dress of Saudi women in public. It is seen as a sign of modesty and purity and symbolizes the dignity of utmost level.
Georgina won’t be forced to wear an abaya because she is a non-muslim but she has to abide by the rules of not wearing clothes that show her delicate parts in public. These delicate parts contain her neckline, cleavage, and her legs. She can’t wear clothes that expose any of these body parts in public.
With Georgina being an Instagram influencer, it will be interesting to see what sort of clothing she wears in public in the Saudi capital, and how her followers react to it or maybe even follow it.
Eating and drinking
As we already talked about Saudi being an ultra-Islamic country, it prohibits the usage of alcohol and pork in the country. Alcohol is banned in Islam as it deprives men of their sanity and consuming alcohol has one of the most severest punishments in Islamic culture.
A pig is seen as an abominable creature in Islam and eating it has a punishment of the same severity as that of consuming alcohol. The Saudi government prohibits the import of both pork and alcohol in the country. But the Ronaldo family will have a whole different variety of meat to try in the Arab country, some of which they wouldn’t have tried ever before.
The ban on alcohol might be a boon for Ronaldo’s depleting career as this may result in longevity for him and might even enhance his performances on the pitch after moving to Saudi on the back of lack of form.
Eating or smoking in public during Ramadan
Ramadhan is the month of fasting for Muslims. They do not eat, drink or smoke from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadhan and Saudi being a religious state, prohibits eating, drinking, or smoking in public by anybody.
Georgina will have to be cautious during this month as smoking or eating in public during Ramadhan carries a severe punishment in the desert country. Ronaldo does know a thing or two about Ramadhan, as he has shared the dressing room with Karim Benzema and Mesut Ozil both of whom fasted in the holy month for the Muslims.
Religious sites
While Ronaldo is doing his thing and playing football for Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, Georgina will have to find something for herself to do in this new atmosphere. One thing she can’t do during her stay in Saudi is visiting religious sites like Makkah or Madinah as only Muslims are allowed into these holy sites.
Ronaldo, Georgina, and their family have been previously seen enjoying free time on vacations but they will have to be cautious in choosing the places they go to in Saudi. The only way they can visit religious sites in Saudi Arabia is by asking permission from the authorities or switching their religion to Islam.
PDA- Public Display of Affection
P.D.As are a common sight in most of Europe and the other western world but when it comes to Saudi Arabia, any sighting of PDAs is seen as a huge wrong, and not even married couples are allowed to display affection in public.
A little kiss, a peck, or even a grope in public can land the couple in trouble with the authorities in Saudi. The Saudi authorities have already been lenient with the 5 time Ballon d’Or winner by allowing him to live with his partner without a marriage license.
Advocacy for Gay Rights
Gay relationships is another topic that doesn’t go well with the Saudi public and authorities as they see it as a huge offense and any support for LGBTQ+ in the Arab country could land you in trouble. We have already witnessed how strict Qatar was against LGBTQ+ support during the World Cup and the same can be expected in Saudi.
Georgina will have to be cautious with showing their support towards the gay rights movements and even a social media post regarding the same while living in Saudi can land the influencer in trouble.
