Cristiano Ronaldo joining Al Nassr will have a similar impact as Pele's move to New York Cosmos nearly 50 years ago, according to the Saudi club's head coach Rudi Garcia.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, thought to be one of the most lucrative in football history, following his Manchester United exit.
The Portugal international has yet to make his debut due to a domestic suspension carried over from his time at United, but his impact is already being felt off the pitch.
And in the view of Garcia, the transfer is comparable to the late Pele's move to American club Cosmos in 1975 following a legendary spell with Santos.
"It's a bit like Pele's arrival, especially for the development of football, sport and culture in Saudi Arabia," Garcia was quoted as saying by L'Equipe.
"Cristiano Ronaldo is more than a player. He is one of the best players in the world.
"It's amazing how much it’s put a spotlight on our club. Now everyone knows where our club is around the world.
"We must have gone from 800,000 [Twitter followers] to 10 million in a few hours, or a few days, because of Cristiano's arrival."
Ronaldo missed Friday's 2-0 win over Al Tai and will also sit out Saturday's trip to Al Shabab due to a ban imposed for knocking a phone out of an Everton fan's hand last April.
He is eligible to make his Al Nassr debut against Al Ettifaq on January 22, but Garcia has confirmed Ronaldo may first feature in a prestige friendly against Paris Saint-Germain.
That could mean a clash between Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as PSG take on a Saudi All-Star XI made up of players from Al Nassr and Al Hilal, but Garcia is not entirely happy.
"His debut won't be with the Al Nassr jersey. It will be a mix between Al Hilal and Al Nassr," Garcia said.
"As the coach of Al Nassr, I cannot be pleased with this match. For development, to see PSG, to see the great Parisian players, indeed it is a good thing.
"But we have a championship game three days later. In terms of scheduling, it could have been better thought out. But it's not a big deal.
"We are in the lead, we are happy. It is a difficult championship to win, but we intend to do it."
Ronaldo struggled for playing time prior to his United exit and then lost his place in Portugal's starting line-up in their disappointing World Cup campaign.
Asked what he hopes to see from the 37-year-old when he belatedly makes his debut, Garcia said: "If he finds the pleasure of playing again, that will already be a goal achieved."
FC Halifax back in the play-off places after draw with Oldham
FC Halifax moved back into the play-off places in the National League as Adan George rescued a point in a 2-2 draw at home to Oldham.
The visitors took the lead in the 18th minute through Dan Gardner’s half-volley from a corner before Rob Harker levelled for the home side a minute into first-half stoppage time, smashing the ball home.
Oldham were awarded a penalty when Joe Garner was fouled in the box and Gardner restored Latics’ lead from the penalty spot in the 58th minute, but The Shaymen levelled again in the 72nd minute through substitute George’s smart finish from a narrow angle.
Halifax climb back into the play-off spots on goal difference where they are tied on 68 points with Aldershot, while Oldham remain 10th.
Aldershot move into play-off places with victory at 10-man Gateshead
Kwame Thomas headed Aldershot into the National League play-off places in a 1-0 win away to a Gateshead side who played almost half the match with a defender deputising in goal.
Gateshead had goalkeeper Nathan Harness sent off in the 47th minute for bringing down James Daly outside the box and, with no stopper on the bench, Louis Storey went between the posts for the rest of the night.
Storey made a good save to keep out Cian Harries’ free-kick in the 51st minute, but could do nothing as the visitors took the lead 10 minutes later.
Thomas got on the end of a looping cross from Josh Barrett to head in, and it proved enough for a win that puts them one point above FC Halifax, who host Oldham on Thursday.
Respect the process – Cesc Fabregas committed to long-term plan at striving Como
Cesc Fabregas says Italian club Como must remain committed to their long-term plan even if their progress is expedited by winning promotion to Serie A this season.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder is assistant manager at the lakeside club and, working under Welshman Osian Roberts, has guided them into the automatic promotion positions in Serie B.
They currently have a three-point lead over third-placed Venezia and if they do not falter in their final five games they will return to the top flight of Italian football for the first time since 2003.
The club have been declared bankrupt twice since then, but the 2019 takeover by Indonesian company Djarum Group heralded a new dawn.
They are owners with big ambitions and they sought out advice from people in the game, with Thierry Henry and Fabregas becoming minority shareholders, while former England international Dennis Wise has also acted in an advisory role.
Fabregas is currently earning his full coaching badges and his goals are aligned with the club’s.
Returning to the top tier of Italian football has always been the plan, with further ambitions of titles and European football in the coming years.
But Fabregas insists that will only happen if they “respect the process”.
“We are pushing, we have a clear vision of where we want to go, where we want to get, we know who we are,” he told the PA news agency.
“We know where we are at the moment and we need to respect the process, take the right steps.
“We are working well, people are very dedicated, the owners are investing well and smartly.
“We are all on the same page, evolving every single week to try and create this family, this union, let’s see where we are at the season.”
When Fabregas joined Como as a player in the summer of 2022, it could have been easy to think he was easing into retirement in an idyllic part of the world.
View this post on InstagramBut that would not be fitting with his work ethic and drive, which sees him one day wanting to be a manager in his own right.
“I agree that Como is beautiful but if I am being honest my life is work, home, work, home,” he said.
“Then when I am home I try to be with my family. Even if I was at the end of the world or in another place my life would not change that much.
“Como is beautiful, we appreciate it so much but my job and my life doesn’t change too much.”
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