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Mike Chan

Paul McNamara

Lars Hamer

Al-Ahli, the last of the Saudi Super Cup teams landed in Hong Kong on Sunday and will stay at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wan Chai, where they were greeted by over 50 fans.
The fans, mostly men between the ages of 20 and 40, had come to catch a glimpse of former Premier League footballers Riyad Mahrez, Ivan Toney and Edouard Mendy.
John Kulpakdeesinghworn, 41, travelled to Hong Kong from Thailand to see former Leicester City winger Mahrez. The country has a strong Leicester following, as the club is owned by King Power International Group, a Thai company founded by Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
“I will stay until the 20th, I’ve got tickets for the semi-final [against Al-Qadsiah] and I’m staying in the Regent Hotel, where [Cristiano] Ronaldo is,” he said. “The fans there are terrible, everyone is trying to chase, it’s too crazy.
“I don’t want him in [the hotel] now, Mahrez is better. Cristiano is humble – he signed a lot yesterday, but the people are too crazy.”

Ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Mendy may be a continental champion in both Europe and Asia, but his accuracy when signing autographs for fans still needs some improvement.
Hongkonger Rosie Fong had gathered at the hotel with a friend to collect signatures of players on stickers in her albums.
However, Mendy misunderstood the brief as he signed the page the sticker was on rather than the sticker itself, which Fong said was “stupid”.
“What’s wrong with him?” Fong said. “If you sign like this, it’s disgusting, man. He ruined the book.”
One of Fong’s friends, who did not give his name, said that although the signature on the sticker adds value, they do not sell them and prefer to keep them as collectibles.
On X, Saudi Arabian football accounts have questioned why Al-Ahli arrived in the city so late in the week, with one calling it a “travel blunder”.
The account All About SPL said: “They’ll arrive in Hong Kong way too late – messing up players’ sleep schedules and causing time lag.”
Al-Ahli were late replacements for holders Al-Hilal, who pulled out of the tournament, citing player fatigue.

You can feel the fire 🔥💬 pic.twitter.com/sZ5qudWdSW
— AlNassr FC (@AlNassrFC_EN) August 17, 2025

Meanwhile, Ronaldo and his Al-Nassr teammates headed out for an early training session in the city on Sunday, according to the Post sources, as the preparations for their Saudi Super Cup semi-final continued.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward’s arrival in Hong Kong has generated excitement among local fans.
At the Regent Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui, where the five-time Ballon d’Or winner and his teammates are staying, devoted fan Emma Liu, who travelled from Beijing on Saturday, had booked herself into the same hotel as her hero.
Liu, who began idolising Ronaldo following his 2003 transfer to Manchester United, was patiently waiting in the lobby hoping for a first meeting with the 40-year-old.
“He’s very charming, for sure, and, on top of that … he’s always motivated and self-disciplined, and he’s such a good footballer,” said Liu, who had to miss Ronaldo’s 2018 trip to Nanjing because of illness.
Liu, 36, who is staying in Hong Kong until Wednesday, was hoping to get Ronaldo’s signature on an Al-Nassr jersey emblazoned with the phrase “GOAT” – greatest of all time – and “900 goals”, a tribute to the career total the forward reached last year.
She had also brought a Portugal 2022 World Cup shirt.
“This is only part of my collection, I must have 30 more back home,” she said.
Ronaldo and Al-Nassr will take on Karim Benzema’s Al-Ittihad in the first semi-final on Tuesday at the Hong Kong Stadium, before Al-Ahli and Al-Qadsiah meet on Wednesday.


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Saudi Super Cup

Al-Ahli land in Hong Kong, completing Saudi quartet for Super Cup

Supporters at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wan Chai gather as they wait for the Al-Ahli players to arrive

A supporter was unhappy with Al-Ahli goalkeeper Edouard Mendy after he failed to accurately sign her sticker.

Cristiano Ronaldo match in Goa dubbed biggest in Indian club football history

Cristiano Ronaldo (front) and his club Al-Nassr are scheduled to play a match in Goa. Photo: Reuters

Al-Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates a goal with Jhon Duran. Photo: Reuters

Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr train in sunny Hong Kong before Saudi Super Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo and his Al Nassr teammates training in Tseung Kwan O. Photo: Fabio Brunazzi

Sport

Football

Fourth team in competition land in city, as Cristiano Ronaldo and teammates continue to train ahead of semi-final


Fourth team in competition land in city, as Cristiano Ronaldo and teammates continue to train ahead of semi-final.


Al-Ahli land in Hong Kong, completing Saudi quartet for Super Cup

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Fourth team in competition land in city, as Cristiano Ronaldo and teammates continue to train ahead of semi-final

Fourth team in competition land in city, as Cristiano Ronaldo and teammates continue to train ahead of semi-final