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Last night Cristiano Ronaldo and Al Nassr secured a 3-1 victory against Al Raed in the SPL. Following the triumph, they quickly flew to Iran for their AFC Champions League first-round clash against Persepolis. Just hours before the Portuguese superstar and his teammates entered the Middle Eastern country, CR7 was warned by a rival star who was quite destined with his own intentions to win!

Simultaneously, the whole Al Nassr team won’t be able to catch up with their loved ones on the major social media apps used across the globe. The Tourism minister of the land commented on the same and was quite stern about not handing them ‘unlimited internet’.

Cristiano Ronaldo warned by rival team star

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After a convincing 3-1 victory in the Roshan Saudi League, Al Nassr is now preparing for the first group-stage match of the AFC Champions League against Iranian side Persepolis. Even though the match is far from starting, rivals have already issued warnings to Cristiano Ronaldo. This comes after a Persepolis star, Mohamed Hossein Kanaani, had a pre-match message for the Portuguese skipper.

The Iranian club’s defender posted an Instagram story, where he added his picture and wrote a note for CR7. It said, “Great players like Rivaldo and Xavi have come to Iran before and suffered defeat… Persepolis is a team that always has people’s prayers behind it.” It seems like Kanaani is sending a subtle warning to Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates that Persepolis has defeated some of Europe’s biggest stars. Some examples would be Rivaldo, who played for Uzbekistan’s Bunyodkor, and Xavi, who played for Qatari side Al Sadd.

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Kanaani also insists Persepolis always has the ‘faith and prayers’ of their ardent fans. In short, Al Nassr may be in for a surprise against the home side. The Portuguese soccer veteran hasn’t responded or reacted to the message yet. The true test of Kanaani’s statement will only be reflected by the match’s outcome. However, it’s unclear if the message would have caught Ronaldo’s attention on the internet, as he is traveling to a country that has banned some of the biggest social media apps. Let’s dive deeper.

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No access to social media for CR7 and his team

As Ronaldo and the entire Al-Nassr team prepared for their opening game, they encountered an unexpected obstacle. Ezzatollah Zarghami, the Minister of Tourism of Iran, recently announced that Ronaldo would not receive unlimited internet access during his stay. The statement did not explain the reason for this restriction, but it certainly poses an additional challenge for the striker.

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Earlier, the president of Persepolis had expressed his efforts to persuade Iran’s largest telecommunications company to provide Al Nassr players with ‘customized SIM cards’ that would grant them internet access. However, after the Iranian minister’s statement, Ronaldo and his teammates may have to stay in Iran without enjoying the luxury of social media.

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Written by

Abhishek Mishra

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Abhishek Mishra is a soccer writer at EssentiallySports. Abhishek's love for soccer began during his childhood days when he spent most of his time playing and watching the sport. His early exposure to soccer earned him many accolades at district and zonal levels, making him a true sports enthusiast.
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Edited by

Daniel D'Cruz