How Cristiano Ronaldo seemingly took inspiration from Newcastle United in Saudi house hunt

Rumours linking Cristiano Ronaldo and Newcastle United may have been swirling following his high-profile departure from Manchester United late last year, but the prolific Portuguese forward ended up putting pen to paper at Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

As Ronaldo, his family and entourage make the move to the Middle East, links with Newcastle United can continue to be drawn.

The former Red Devil has taken up a month-long residence at the Four Seasons in Riyadh whilst he finds the super-millionaire finds a more permanent home.

Situated at the top of the Kingdom Tower, the hotel is in one of the country's tallest buildings where Ronaldo's entourage are said to have taken 17 rooms, costing over £250,000.

It has been said that the staff have been asked not to bother the star for selfies, but Ronaldo has been generous with guests and hotel staff, chatting when he can.

The striker will stay in the Kingdom Suite, which stretches two floors and doesn't even have a price listed on the Four Seasons website - although a similar Presidential Suite will set residents back an eye-watering £3,300 a night.

All the talk of the Four Seasons in Riyadh and its luxurious furnishings may ring a bell with Newcastle United fans.

It is, of course, the hotel chosen by the club for their latest winter training camp stay in December. During the trip to Saudi Arabia, as well as putting the hard yards in at training, Eddie Howe's side faced Al-Hilal in a friendly.

At the time, NewcastleWorld had a nosey at the luxury hotel and pulled together a gallery of images to give fans a behind-the-scenes peek - you can find that here.

The Four Seasons has about everything you can imagine from impressive pools to expansive lobbies, sought-after restaurants, meeting rooms and a gym. The big, airy and modern bedrooms are quite something to behold too.

Newcastle United is of course now intertwined with the Middle Eastern country, being 80% owned by a consortium of the Saudi Public Investment Fund - who controversially took over the reins at the club from Mike Ashley in October 2021, for whom there was little love lost after his underwhelming 14 years.

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his debut in Saudia Arabia during a club friendly against PSG on January 19.