Cristiano Ronaldo globally is known for many things. Aside from being considered one of the greatest footballers ever, he is known as a worldwide superstar, boasting the most followed Instagram account with around 650 million followers. Some of his football accolades include 5 champions leagues, the most prestigious trophy in European club football, and a European championship won in 2016 with Portugal. He is also the player with the most goals ever, (928 and counting) according to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics. (IFFHS)
But shockingly, Ronaldo is, according to the legislature of Iranian law, a criminal who could face a rather strange punishment of ninety-nine lashes. Confused? Don’t worry, I couldn’t believe what I was reading when I first heard of this news. The combination of all of the factors involved in this case are rather interesting as well, which just adds to the almost comedic nature of Ronaldo’s would be punishment.
To sum up the situation, Cristiano Ronaldo traveled to Tehran, the capital of Iran, with his football team Al-Nassr in 2023. Naturally, due to Ronaldo’s arrival, thousands of fans lined up and entered the team’s hotel in order to see the superstar and possibly greet him. The Iranian police had to intervene, placing themselves between the fans and the players to protect the safety of the team.
Then, Ronaldo was filmed having an interaction with a fan, in which the reaction was apparently so “appalling” that the government defined it as adultery. The fan herself was Fatemeh Hammami Nasrabadi, an Iranian artist who suffers from a disability and remarkably paints portraits with her feet. The interaction itself was simply Ronaldo giving a hug to Nasrabadi, and a kiss on the forehead – a casual friendly interaction with no wrongful intent from any of the two.
According to Iranian law, the gesture was considered adultery as the “kiss” was not directed by the spouse, that being Ronaldo’s wife Georgina. I am one hundred percent certain that Georgina did not know about this interaction nor would she have cared, because it is simply a light hearted interaction between two people who will probably never see each other again. The penalty determined by the Iranian law, however, would be 99 lashes directed towards Ronaldo.
I cannot imagine what Ronaldo was thinking at the moment, since he was probably in his house watching the game on the T.V.. He was most likely angry that he could not support his team simply because of an interaction with no foul intent or foul play in general. Al-Nassr therefore traveled to Iran without Ronaldo, winning against the Iranian side 3-0.
Obviously, to conclude this strange story, Ronaldo never traveled to Iran and never received the punishment of 99 lashes from Iranian authorities. It is therefore, reasonable and safe to say that Ronaldo is checking off Iran on his holiday lists forever.
Sources:
“Cristiano Ronaldo – Títulos & Logros.” Transfermarkt, www.transfermarkt.es/cristiano-ronaldo/erfolge/spieler/8198. Accessed 20 Mar. 2025.
M.á.r, and Ryan Mitchell. “Al Nassr Travels to Iran without Cristiano Because He Could Face 99 Lashes for Adultery.” MARCA, Marca, 2 Mar. 2025, www.marca.com/en/football/2025/03/02/67c48bfee2704e86198b4576.html.