RONALDO FLEES SAUDI ARABIA WITH FAMILY, GOES TO SPAIN AFTER AIRSTRIKES IN RIYADHH

March 3, 2026 • Dons Eze • 2 min read

Portuguese football icon, Cristiano Ronaldo, has reportedly left Saudi Arabia for Madrid, Spain, following escalating regional tensions triggered by recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran.

Ronaldo, captain and forward for Al-Nassr FC, departed Riyadh late at night aboard his £61million ($81million) Bombardier Global Express 6500 private jet, according to the UK Daily Mail on Tuesday.

His reported exit comes amid growing security fears across the Gulf after the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes in Iran on February 28, 2026, an operation that reportedly killed several Iranian leaders.

Iranian state media confirmed early on March 1 that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had been killed, declaring 40 days of mourning and announcing a seven-day national holiday.

Tensions escalated further after two drones struck the US Embassy in Riyadh overnight.

The Saudi 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 strike caused “minor material damage.”

The Daily Mail report noted that “Riyadh, where Ronaldo lives with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and their five children, has been affected by attacks linked to the regional conflict.”

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.”

Ronaldo’s departure comes as the United States ramps up security measures across the Middle East following the outbreak of hostilities.

The U.S. Department of State recently announced the temporary shutdown of embassies and suspension of consular services across several countries, citing serious safety risks linked to the widening Iran conflict.

In Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh suspended both routine and emergency services across its missions in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dhahran.

In neighbouring Iraq, nonemergency U.S. government personnel were ordered to leave the country, while American staff were barred from using Baghdad’s international airport.

Kuwait also witnessed deadly incidents involving American troops, including the deaths of six soldiers and the crash of three fighter jets in what the U.S. military described as an “apparent friendly fire” episode.

Dons Eze

DONS EZE, PhD, Political Philosopher and Journalist of over four decades standing, worked in several newspaper houses across the country, and rose to the positions of Editor and General Manager. A UNESCO Fellow in Journalism, Dr. Dons Eze, a prolific writer and author of many books, attended several courses on Journalism and Communication in both Nigeria and overseas, including a Postgraduate Course on Journalism at Warsaw, Poland; Strategic Communication and Practical Communication Approach at RIPA International, London, the United Kingdom, among others.