Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr 4th Most Popular Team in Aisa, List Dominated by IPL Sides: Report

Cristiano Ronaldo became the highest-paid footballer in the history of the game after signing a lucrative deal with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr last year. The much-talked-about move was expected to kickstart a new era in the Asian sports industry. Ronaldo’s high profile signing did manage to grab eyeballs but a recent study has now suggested that the Asian sports field is still largely dominated by cricket, well Indian Premier League (IPL) to be more precise. It is being learnt that a report published by Deportez and Fiananzas claims that MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings franchise enjoys highest popularity amongst the Asian sports teams for the month of April 2023 on Twitter. The solitary football team present on this list is Saudi Arabia-based Al-Nassr.

With a whopping 9.97 million Twitter interactions in April, Chennai Super Kings comfortably claim the top spot on the elite list of Asian sports sides. The four-time IPL champions are followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore, who recorded 4.85 million interactions on Twitter in April. Another IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals occupies the third spot on this list. The Sanju Samson-led side had 3.55 million interactions on Twitter last month. Al-Nassr, comprising star Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo, reportedly are placed in fourth position with 3.5 million Twitter interactions. Five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians find themselves at the fifth spot on the list.

Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Royals Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals are currently vying for the prestigious IPL title. With 15 points to their name, MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings are in second position in IPL 2023 standings. While Mumbai Indians are at fifth spot, Royal Challengers Bangalore are just two points behind the Rohit Sharma-led side. Royal Challengers Bangalore, however, have still one match in hand.

Cristiano Ronaldo, on the other hand, made his debut in Saudi Arabia in January during Al-Nassr’s 1-0 win over Al-Ettifaq. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner scored his first goal in Al-Nassr jersey in February. He has so far netted 13 goals for Al-Nassr in 17 matches. In international football, Ronaldo holds the record for most number of goals. The talismanic striker has 122 goals in his kitty after making 198 appearances for Portugal.