Former goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah of the famous Saudi Arabian football club Al-Nassr made shocking claims about Portuguese star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo during a TV programme.
According to the Tribune.com.pk report, Abdullah, appearing as a guest on an Arab TV show, claimed Ronaldo's potential conversion to Islam and deepening integration into Saudi culture. He stated that Ronaldo had expressed his desire to convert by citing the star's strong connection to Saudis.
“Ronaldo genuinely wants to convert to Islam. I spoke to him about it, and he expressed interest,” Abdullah said, reported Tribune.com.pk. “He has already prostrated on the field after scoring, and he always encourages the players to pray and follow Islamic religious practices,” he added.
Abdullah also revealed that the Portuguese star has taken an interest in learning about Islamic rituals and traditions to connect with Arab Muslim teammates in the Al-Nassr team and ensures his colleagues have time to pray between training sessions.
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“When the call to prayer (Adhan) sounds during training, Ronaldo asks the coach to pause the session until it's finished,” the former goalkeeper said. Explaining respect towards another religion. Abdullah said that when Ronaldo first arrived in the country, he was keen to learn about Saudi Arabia’s culture.
“In the beginning, I was close to Cristiano because he wasn’t familiar with the country’s culture, the club, or other aspects. He was curious and often asked me questions about certain details,” Abdullah said. He stated attempts made by former teammates of star striker at Real Madrid, including Mesut Özil and Karim Benzema, also encouraged him to learn about Islamic cultures.