Cristiano Ronaldo has left Saudi Arabia with his family, relocating to Spain following a drone attack on the US embassy in Riyadh and broader regional unrest sparked by US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
The 41-year-old Al-Nassr captain departed late Sunday on his private jet, a Bombardier Global Express 6500 valued at $81 million, tracking data showed.
The flight left Riyadh at 8:00 pm local time and landed in Madrid around 1:00 am, routing over Egypt and the Mediterranean.
Ronaldo’s partner Georgina Rodriguez and their five children accompanied him, amid heightened security concerns in the kingdom where he has resided since joining the Saudi Pro League club in 2023.
The move follows a drone strike on the US embassy in Riyadh overnight, which the Saudi defence ministry described as causing “minor material damage.”
“A limited fire broke out at the United States Embassy in Riyadh after it was hit by two drones,” the ministry said in a statement.
The attack came days after US-Israeli airstrikes on February 28 killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top officials, prompting Iran to declare 40 days of mourning and a week-long national holiday.
In response to the escalating tensions, the US has suspended consular services at its embassies in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran, and ordered non-essential personnel to depart Iraq.
Deadly incidents in Kuwait involving US forces, including the deaths of six soldiers in what the military called an “apparent friendly fire” episode with three fighter jets, have further intensified the crisis.
Ronaldo’s professional future with Al-Nassr remains unchanged, with no immediate indication of a departure from the team.
