Ronaldo’s UAE golden visa: How he keeps residency without owning property

Cristiano Ronaldo is closing in on the 1,000-goal milestone, with just 19 more goals to go, while continuing to lead the line for Riyadh-based Al-Nassr following his high-profile arrival in Saudi Arabia in 2023. Since then, he has helped the club compete for major honours, while his contract extension until 2027 has secured his future in Saudi football for the coming seasons.But while Ronaldo’s achievements in Saudi Arabia are well documented, his connection with the neighbouring UAE goes back much further. In February 2020, nearly three years before joining Al-Nassr, he received the UAE Golden Visa in recognition of his sporting stature, under a programme introduced in 2019 to attract exceptional international talent.What makes his case particularly interesting is that his award was linked to his achievements as an athlete, rather than the more familiar routes involving property investment or business ownership.