"Cristiano Ronaldo to River": fans spark a social media frenzy | OneFootball

Playing at Al Nassr and absent from his last match against Al Riyadh by personal decision, as a form of “strike” due to his dissatisfaction with the club’s sporting and institutional direction, River Plate fans quickly took note and took it upon themselves to launch a movement that shook up social media. For what purpose? With a bold request: to push for his arrival at the Millonario, right on the eve of his birthday, which is celebrated this February 5th.

Thousands of fans saw a glimmer of hope amid the uncertainty surrounding the Portuguese legend’s future and made the hashtag #CR7aRiver go viral, to the point that it became the second trending topic in Argentina and the buzz even reached Saudi Arabia.

In the country where the forward, who is turning 41, currently plays, the movement made waves, but no media outlet opened the door to a possible departure, as the player is already training with his teammates. In fact, in recent hours he made a post that was read between the lines as an attempt to calm the waters amid so much tension.

Shirts with his name, the iconic “7” printed on them, and hundreds of AI-generated photos flooded the X platform, along with messages about the dream of Cristiano Ronaldo crossing the world and being tempted to play for River. Of course, the fans’ hope is not only based on the player’s current situation, but also clings to that call that “El Muñeco” made to CR7 last year as another reason to dream big.

It’s worth remembering that Gallardo himself admitted he tried to tempt him almost a year ago and shared the details of that seduction attempt: “It was in mid-March, an informal contact through a mutual friend. I said, ‘Hey, there’s a Club World Cup and a player like you, who marked an era… Are you interested in playing it?’ Not only did he feel recognized, but he considered it, he thought about it.”

In the end, the top scorer in football history (961 goals at 41 years old) thanked River’s coach for the offer but decided to stay in Saudi Arabia: “He told us he had to prepare for the next season.” And he added with a laugh: “If it had worked, it would have worked, haha.”

Unlike back then, today in Núñez there has been no new approach nor are there any real chances of Ronaldo’s transfer happening; it was all part of a digital movement led by La Banda’s fans.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.