The ripples from the escalating Middle East crisis have reached the doorsteps of football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who has reportedly left Saudi Arabia for Madrid as regional hostilities intensify.
The Al-Nassr captain quietly departed Riyadh late at night aboard his £61 million ($81 million) Bombardier Global Express 6500 private jet, according to the Daily Mail. His sudden trip comes on the heels of US-Israeli strikes in Iran and retaliatory tensions across the Gulf.
Overnight drama saw two drones hit the US embassy in Riyadh, while Iranian state media reported that a command and staff building in Bahrain had been destroyed — developments that have rattled the region.
“Riyadh, where Ronaldo lives with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and their five children, has been affected by attacks linked to the regional conflict,” the report said.
Flight tracking service Flightradar24 confirmed that the jet “departed Riyadh at 8:00 pm and arrived in Madrid at almost 1:00 am, flying a path over Egypt and the Mediterranean.”
The strikes, carried out on February 28, 2026, reportedly killed several Iranian leaders. Iranian state media later confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed, declaring 40 days of mourning and a seven-day national holiday.
Saudi authorities acknowledged the embassy incident, stating, “A limited fire broke out at the United States Embassy in Riyadh after it was hit by two drones,” adding that the strike caused “minor material damage.”
