Captain and forward of Al-Nassr FC, Cristiano Ronaldo, has reportedly departed Saudi Arabia for Madrid, Spain, following rising security concerns linked to escalating conflict in the Middle East.
According to a report by the Daily Mail on Tuesday, the 41-year-old football star left Riyadh late at night aboard his £61 million ($81 million) Bombardier Global Express 6500 private jet.
His departure comes amid growing regional instability after recent US-Israeli military strikes on Iran. Overnight, two drones struck the United States embassy in Riyadh, while Iranian state media also reported the destruction of a command and staff facility in Bahrain.
“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 stated.
Flight-tracking platform Flightradar24 confirmed that the aircraft “departed Riyadh at 8:00 pm and arrived in Madrid at almost 1:00 am, flying a path over Egypt and the Mediterranean.”
The development follows coordinated US-Israeli strikes carried out on February 28, 2026, targeting Iranian locations. Iranian state media later confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, announcing a 40-day mourning period alongside a seven-day national holiday.
In a statement, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence said, “A limited fire broke out at the United States Embassy in Riyadh after it was hit by two drones,” adding that the incident resulted in “minor material damage.”
