Why under normal circumstances, Cristiano & Georgina's engagement would be considered a scandal

Photo: Georgina Rodriguez, Cristiano Ronaldo/ Instagram

The capital of the conservative Islamic kingdom is not usually known as a place where couples traveling the world come to celebrate their romances. A decade ago, religious police patrolled the city's streets to stop unmarried couples and shout at women to cover their hair. Sexual relations outside of marriage were, until recently, punishable by flogging.

It was no surprise that the news of Cristiano Ronaldo's engagement was accompanied by a photo of a diamond ring the size of a giant olive. But the location noted in an Instagram post by his partner of nine years, model and influencer Georgina Rodríguez, raised many eyebrows. The photo of her ring-studded hand came not from Paris, Bora Bora or Dubai, but from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Although fans were excited about the news, they emphasized the fact that the couple was not married, despite having lived together with their children in this Saudi city for two years.

Riyadh is the scene where part of their unmarried love story has unfolded, after Ronaldo moved there in 2022 on a lucrative contract to play for Al Nassr. Rodríguez and the children joined him immediately. The family seemed to have settled into a comfortable and luxurious life, testing the limits of rapid social change in Saudi Arabia.

Since 2015, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has brought about numerous changes that have made the country very different from its ultra-conservative image, easing social restrictions but also increasing political repression.

Once, simply being in a car with a man who wasn't a relative could land you in trouble at checkpoints. Women weren't allowed to drive until 2018. Today, the rules remain unclear: Is romantic dating allowed? Cohabitation? Pregnancy outside of marriage? There is no written penal code, and judges interpret Islamic law differently, giving the government flexibility to maneuver amid societal changes, sometimes triggering public backlash or unexpected arrests.

Now, you can even see women on the streets wearing shorts or short tops, even though dress codes still forbid them from doing so. Alcohol remains illegal, but the black market thrives and drunken young people are sometimes seen hanging out outside the city's "dry" clubs.

The Saudi government's International Communications Center did not respond to a question about whether sex and cohabitation outside of marriage are currently permitted or whether Ronaldo, 40, has received any exemption. Nor did the couple's representatives comment on whether Saudi Arabia's social circumstances influenced their decision to get engaged.

Ronaldo's transfer was a major win for Saudi Arabia's strategy to expand its sports sector and improve the country's image. He has frequently posted about life and football in Saudi Arabia, showing a different side of the country.

Rodríguez, 31, a model and influencer with a documentary on Netflix, has been part of this appearance, from red carpets, to bikini vacations outside their villa, to visits to luxury resorts with the children.

However, for other women in the country, without a marriage certificate there is no access to healthcare, education or legal documents for children, nor the opportunity to register them.

Ronaldo has publicly referred to Georgina as his "wife" several times, and in her Netflix documentary, he said they will get married "one day."

"I always say, 'When we feel that click,'" he said at the time.

It's not known exactly when or where the proposal took place. Georgina's Instagram post on Monday was simply captioned:

"Yes, I agree. In this and in all my lives."

In the comments below, some Arab followers joked that “it was a very quick engagement.” Memes in Arabic immediately spread, with one saying he had to work for two years in Saudi Arabia to afford the marriage. Another meme described the period of cohabitation as “the getting to know each other,” poking fun at traditional customs of dating before marriage.

In June, Ronaldo renewed his contract in Saudi Arabia for another two years.

“My family always supports me in my decisions,” he said in a video released by the club. “The Saudi people treat us very, very well. That’s why we want to live here and continue our lives here.”

_{Source: The New York Times}