Booking 17 rooms in a hotel, enjoying Armenian food & more: how Cristiano Ronaldo lives and where he eats in Saudi Arabia
George Woodward
Tribuna.com
Cristiano Ronaldo / Getty Images
Cristiano Ronaldo has changed football in Saudi Arabia, so let’s see which hotel the Portuguese lived in immediately after his move, which house he bought and where he likes to have a modest meal.
Two floors and 400 square metres. This is how Ronaldo lived in his first month after joining Al Nassr
Immediately after his transfer to Al Nassr in 2023, Ronaldo settled in the luxury Four Seasons hotel in the Kingdom Centre. The ceilings there are very high — the lobby alone is 10 storeys tall. Cristiano rented two floors (the 49th and 50th). One was for his family and the other for his staff.
All in all, it was 400 square metres and 17 rooms in total. Inside there were several bedrooms, dining rooms, storage rooms, huge walk-in wardrobes, contemporary artworks and, from the windows, a panoramic view of the city.
Ronaldo used a private lift, made use of the gym, pool, spa and played tennis. His access everywhere was unlimited and completely free. Per month, such a luxury stay would have cost around $300,000, but no one took any money from Ronaldo. He did not pay anything in the hotel restaurants either, even though his personal chef was also living with him.
In the same Kingdom Centre there is a large shopping mall and a lift that takes you up to the observation deck. It is quite unusual because of its shape and the bridge connecting the two ends.
A $15-million house in a unique district and a comfortable life in a once closed country
The official address of Ronaldo’s house in Saudi Arabia is, naturally, kept strictly secret. It is, however, known for certain that his home is in the elite Al Muhammadiyah district. It is filled with sand-coloured houses with very modern architecture, floor-to-ceiling windows, open terraces and marble fences.
There are many convenient, large areas for walking, as well as expensive restaurants and shops of well-known brands. There is also everything you need for sport — football pitches and tennis courts.
Cristiano bought his house for $15 million, and it is just a 15-minute drive from Al Nassr’s stadium. Ronaldo himself probably does not even notice that he is living in a fairly closed eastern country. But now there is literally everything here for a comfortable life.
There are few districts like this for now, but the country is developing very actively in this direction. The westernisation and relative liberalisation of Saudi Arabia is the work of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In 2016 he presented ‘Vision 2030’, the key programme for the development of Saudi Arabia.
Having looked at neighbouring UAE and Qatar, the prince also set about modernising his country. The main goal is to reduce the economy’s dependence on oil by developing other sectors. Entertainment is one of the priority areas.
Until 2018, even cinemas and concerts were banned in Saudi Arabia. Now all of this exists, albeit not yet in large numbers. The emerging leisure industry still does not fully satisfy demand, and locals fly to Dubai or Bahrain for the weekend. But there is one type of entertainment in which the Saudis have already overtaken their neighbours — football. With an ambassador like Cristiano, that is no surprise. Crowds of tourists come to the country purely because of Ronaldo.
Cristiano celebrated his birthday in an Armenian restaurant. And he did not even book the whole place out.0 ‘Lavash’ is a three-storey Armenian restaurant. It has a main hall, a VIP area and a terrace. Interestingly, it was Ronaldo’s fiancee Georgina Rodriguez who first celebrated her birthday there, and a few days later Cristiano himself did the same. Waiter Vergina worked at both parties and shared a few details.
The first time, Ronaldo and his wife sat upstairs, a little secluded from everyone. The second time they settled right in the middle of the ground-floor hall. Ordinary guests were sitting right next to them, and the restaurant was completely packed.
In other words, Ronaldo, despite having the biggest salary in football history, still spends his money rationally. Why book out an entire huge restaurant if you have not invited that many people and one area is enough? No trace of star behavior or arrogance. Just a normal person.
Cristiano made the impression of being very pleasant and kind. He constantly thanked the staff, and it was clear that he liked everything very much. The whole group celebrating with him agreed it was an excellent choice of venue. Everyone was happy and, of course, they left a generous tip.
Cristiano ordered the restaurant’s signature dish — khobob. There were also lots of Armenian starters and salads. The Portuguese star also enjoyed the desserts, which were served at the end of the evening, including the cake with candles. Although it always seemed that Ronaldo does not eat sweets at all, in reality that is not quite true. Of course, he did not eat the whole cake, but he did allow himself a small portion. A little is allowed, especially on your birthday.
When Cristiano celebrated his big day there, a crowd gathered outside the restaurant doors. They were waiting for Ronaldo to come out to them. He does not really like taking photos and usually forbids it at such moments, but he did make an exception for the restaurant staff.
