Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary Portuguese footballer, has reportedly received a luxurious watch worth $780,000 (INR 6 Crore) as a gift for joining the Saudi Arabian football club, Al-Nassr. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner, signed a 2.5-year contract worth $75 million a year with Al-Nassr on December 30th. 

The unique watch, which has a Saudi Arabian theme, was gifted to him by a watch company named Jacob & Co. The watch is adorned with 338 extremely rare gemstones (Tsavorite stones) embedded in 18-carat white gold and has an alligator-green leather strap. Tsavorite stones are roughly 200 times rarer than emeralds. Additionally, 241 baguette-cut, invisibly-set green gems adorn the 47-mm case with 130 more studded on the dial.

This is not the first time Ronaldo has been lavished with gifts for his footballing abilities. He has long been one of the top-paid players in football, earning a reported salary of 31 million euros ($33m) at Juventus before taking a pay cut to rejoin Manchester United. Ronaldo has won five Champions League titles, league titles in Italy with Juventus, in Spain with Real Madrid, and in England with United. He is also the top-scorer in the Champions League with 140 goals to his name, ahead of arch-rival Lionel Messi’s 129.

This move to Saudi Arabia marks a new chapter in Ronaldo’s career, as he joins other heavyweights including George Weah, Pep Guardiola and Xavi Hernandez in playing in the Gulf nation in the twilight of their careers. 

However, it has not been smooth sailing for Ronaldo and his new club, as they were knocked out of the Saudi Super Cup after a 3-1 semi-final loss to Al-Ittihad on Thursday. Despite this setback, it is clear that Ronaldo’s star power and abilities on the field continue to command attention and recognition, as evidenced by the generous gift he has received.