"Sometimes Iraqis just support a person” – Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr shirt sales skyrocket in Iraq, sports store assistant explains reason
Jassim Khedhyr, a sales assistant at a sports store in Baghdad, has revealed that Iraqi football fans love Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He claims that the fans love buying kits of the clubs they join and the rivalry between the two of the best footballers of this generation is keenly followed in the country.
Ronaldo joined Al Nassr earlier this season and is trying to help them win the Saudi Pro League title. His move to Saudi Arabia has seen the league getting broadcast in 130+ countries and has caught more eyeballs than it ever had.
Even the shirt sales are at an all time high, and the fan following has grown in Iraq too. Speaking to Arab News, Khedhyr revealed:
"Sometimes Iraqis just support a person. We follow him wherever he goes. Like when (Lionel) Messi went to PSG, suddenly PSG became popular here. From when children were young here, the big football rivalry that trended in Iraq was between Messi and Ronaldo. So, when the player moves, the supporters follow the player. Al-Nassr FC are very smart. They have five versions of the shirt. Each color is very expensive."
When quizzed about selling Messi shirts should a move to Al Hilal come through, Khedhyr added:
"If the rumors are to be believed and Messi ends up playing for Al-Hillal, I'll be selling his shirt there too, don't worry."
Al Hilal are keen on signing the Argentine, but face tough competition from Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo broke shirt sale record at Manchester United
Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined Manchester United in 2021 and it saw the Red Devils fans rush to get a jersey with his name printed at the back.
As per analysis by the website I Love the Sales, the sale generated a whopping $219 million, beating the previous record of $121 million by Lionel Messi when he joined PSG.
The website's co-founder Stuart McClure said:
"We are tracking record breaking sales of 'Ronaldo 7' football kits across online retailers, to the point where demand is now outweighing supply. Online searches for the 'Ronaldo 7' shirts have increased by over 600%, compared to last summer's football shirt data. Not only has Ronaldo smashed the record for the fastest-selling shirt in Premier League history, he's also made back his £12.9m transfer fee before kicking a ball for the club."
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could reignite their rivalry this summer if the Argentine moves to the Middle East.