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Despite $500,000,000 Cristiano Ronaldo’s Presence In Saudi For A Year, “Real” Ronaldo Showing Up To Support Anthony Edwards Lights Up NBA Fans

Published 10/06/2023, 8:57 AM EDT

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Cristiano Ronaldo‘s shocking move to Saudi Arabia generated mixed reactions from fans. While many thought it was a money grab, others were praising him for his efforts to promote the game. CR7 inked a seven-year contract with Saudi’s Al Nassr and is set to earn an eye-watering $500,000,000 during his run with the club. In just one year, he has already lifted his first title with Al-Nassr and even shattered Bayern Munich legend Gerd Muller’s record by scoring the most number of headed goals (145).

However, despite playing for the Saudi club for a year, it was ‘Real Ronaldo’ who was seen cheering for Minnesota Timberwolves’s Anthony Edwards.

Anthony Edwards receives support from the “Real Ronaldo”

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The Gulf country is trying to establish its foothold in the sports industry. The Saudi scouts are offering lucrative packages to the athletes to promote their game in the country. Similarly, the NBA is also hosting exhibition games in 20 countries to expand the game beyond the borders of the USA.

The first 2023 NBA exhibition game between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves took place in the Etihad Arena on Yas Island on October 5th. The highly anticipated matchup delivered the promised thrill as the Anthony Edwards-led Timberwolves swept Luka Doncic’s Mavericks in a stinging 111-99 upset. However, the Timberwolves were without their star guard, Anthony Edwards, who missed the season opener due to an injury. Cheering from the sidelines for the Ant-Man was none other than the Brazilian footballer Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima.

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The Timberwolves’ official Instagram account shared a video of The Phenomenon holding Edwards’ jersey number 5 while standing with Crunch, the team’s mascot.

In the video, the former Brazilian forward was smiling and dapping up the Timberwolves’ mascot as they posed with Edward’s jersey. The interaction had the excited NBA fans pour in their praise for the football legend in the comments section.

Fans gush over Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima

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Fans couldn’t contain the excitement they saw on de Lima’s face and flooded the Timberwolves’ official Instagram post’s comments section. One fan wrote,You got football Royalty in the house !!!! Print his own jersey asap!!!“. Another fan commented,One of the last great Brazilian football players of the last 20 years”. Fans often refer to Nazario as the ‘real Ronaldo’ since he was in the game before Cristiano Ronaldo joined. Therefore, the majority of the comment section was filled with chants of Real Ronaldo“. And this isn’t it. There were many more fans with intriguing comments you will definitely love reading!

A few fans also speculated that his attendance was a very random occurrence. As a result, assumptions about him trying to buy the Timberwolves basketball team started to swirl. One fan wrote, R9 to the wolves confirmed🤝”. Another fan stated, Ronaldo will buy Timberwolves”. While the GOAT debate between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo is a never-ending saga, one fan chimed in with a different perspective. He wrote, Jordan GOAT OF BUCKET and Ronaldo [Nazario] GOAT OF GREEN PLACE.”

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Even though the Mavs fell once again at the hands of the Timberwolves, they will have another chance to redeem themselves during the second exhibition game slated for October 7th. The fans are hopeful to see Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving make a comeback.

Watch this story: NBA Preseason Rosters: Mavericks vs Timberwolves — Will Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns Take the Court vs Luka Doncic & Co?

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Written by:

Darshita Daga

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Darshita Daga is an NBA Writer at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing Bachelor’s in English, she’s a fervent sports enthusiast with a keen interest in sports journalism, specifically covering the NBA. She feels that words have the potential to capture the spirit of a game, evaluate moves, and portray the emotions that occur both on and off the court.
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Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja