Superstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo’s £61 million private jet reportedly departed Saudi Arabia overnight as tensions escalated across the region.
The development followed reports that the US embassy in the Saudi capital was struck by two drones, while Iranian state media claimed that a command and staff facility in Bahrain had been destroyed.
Riyadh, where the 41-year-old forward lives with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and their five children, has reportedly come under attack as hostilities entered a fourth day.
Amid the growing unrest, foreign nationals have begun leaving the Middle East in large numbers. Online flight data indicated that Ronaldo’s Bombardier Global Express jet made the nearly seven-hour journey to Madrid, departing at about 8:00 p.m. and landing shortly before 1:00 a.m.
Tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft’s route over Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea before arriving in Spain.
Meanwhile, the United States Department of State has advised American citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to rising security risks. Those east of Egypt were specifically urged to depart, as several flights bound for Riyadh were reportedly diverted, with thousands seeking to exit the conflict-hit region.
