Earlier this week, before of the start of the Asian Champions League group stage, Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo visited Iran for the first time since 2016 with his squad.

In Group E on Tuesday, Al-Nassr will take on Persepolis of Iran while Al-Duhail of Qatar will take on Tajik team Istiklol Dushanbe.

When the Saudi Arabian squad arrived in Iran following the thawing of relations between the two nations, the streets were thronged with supporters waving welcome banners and images of Ronaldo.

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Following agreement by the two local federations, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) declared that games between Saudi Arabia and Iran will be played on a home-and-away basis.

Since 2016, games have been held on neutral ground because Saudi nationals are not allowed to visit Iran due to fragile diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Security guards tried to stop the fans from entering the team’s hotel, but they still managed to do so.

Ronaldo’s name was sung by the crowd, as ladies and children carried posters of the Portugal star.

Several images of Ronaldo getting a pricey, hand-made Iranian carpet from Persepolis supporters were posted by Al-Nassr.

“Mr. Cristiano Ronaldo, welcome to Iran.

“A token of appreciation, an original hand-woven piece of art made by Iranian artists to commemorate your presence in Iran, on behalf of Persepolis’s fans,” the fans wrote.

Children wore shirts from Al-Nassr and Portugal with Ronaldo’s name and number, while some fans imitated the former Real Madrid player’s well-known celebration.

Since Ronaldo went to Al-Nassr in January of last year, the Saudi Pro League has grown in popularity with players from Europe.