Recently, Cristiano Ronaldo, a Juventus young sports star hailing from Portugal and six other likewise personalities, have been conferred upon the Gold Card residency visa in the United Arab Emirates. The end of December saw the said gentleman receiving the award of the Best Player of the Year 2009 during Dubai Globe Soccer Awards. What is interesting, it was for the sixth time, which itself is a record. Cristiano Ronaldo has been visiting UAE regularly for the last few years.
Cristiano Ronaldo, now 35, found the Sporting Lisbon a jumping board to get playing opportunities from Real Madrid and Manchester United. It was Portugal’s losing to Uruguay in the 2018 FIFA World Cup that nudged Ronaldo to go for Juventus. The loss was 3-2, though. From the Juventus platform, he appeared 51 times for the Turin giants. His netting there amounted to 41 times.
The start of the year beheld the UAE Cabinet blazing a new trial. It was awarded those creative people, scientists, and entrepreneurs who have contributed and influenced society. The first week of February saw the passing of a new residency scheme. After that, the same February noticed the UAE Cabinet including rising athletes in the UAE in the Gold Card-eligible category.
The success range has elevated Ronaldo to the point of the most marketable sportsperson across the world. Forbes found that Ronaldo reached the place of the world’s highest-paid sportsperson for three consecutive years, i.e., from 2016 to 2019. This Portuguese sports star rocks in the realm of social media. Instagram noticed that Ronaldo has the highest count of followers. The time spanning from 2010 to 2019 witnessed Ronaldo earning in excess of 720,000,000 Euros. No wonder, this amount nudged Forbes to mention Cristiano Ronaldo in the list of highest-paid sportspeople of the decade.
Ronaldo has always found Dubai appealing. His love for Dubai came to the fore when the end of December provided him with a chance to speak his heart in a two-day conference. He didn’t forget to mention and appreciating the considerable support the region showered on him. What is more, the Rolando fan and follower list found Shaik Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in it. No wonder, Al Maktoum turned out to be Ronaldo’s close friend. Besides, AL Maktoum heads the Dubai Sports Council as its chairman. He is the crown prince of Dubai too. Ronaldo was regularly found present at Al Maktoum’s exclusive sporting facility. Nad Al Sheba houses it.
The Dubai Sports Council aims at connecting renowned players across the world. The Council hopes this connecting will encourage them to live and invest in Dubai. Novak Djokovic, tennis star hailing from Serbia, comprises the other six players’ list who have been awarded the UAE Gold Card. This award by UAE is expected to pave the ground for another shining era. UAE deserves appreciation here. Recent years witnessed Ronaldo spending a lot of time in the UAE. The Christmas break arranged a rendezvous between the Dubai crown prince and Ronaldo. Ronaldo won many Globe Soccer Awards in Dubai. On the other hand, Djokovic participated in Dubai Duty-Free Tennis Championships regularly. Besides, Mubadala World Championships, an Abu Dhabi based platform, gave regular playing opportunities to Djokovic.
This UAE residency visa will facilitate nominees spending more time in the UAE. Since the 10-year residency visa, more than 400 business people have received it. Their families are the residency beneficiaries. Every day witnesses dozens of people getting this hallmark residency visa. Al Maktoum added that the UAE government chose 6,800 residents and businesspeople to be awarded. These UAE government chose people to hail from 70 different countries across the world. Their aggregate investment amounts to a staggering amount of AED10,000,000,000.
Padraig Downy is another UAE Gold Card 10-year residency visa recipient. This 37-year old Irish gentleman founded Danu` Theatre. Many acclaimed productions are to Downy’s credit. Besides, students of drama benefit from Padraig Downy at Dubai American Academy. He found the Golden Card an honor for him and the government’s commitment toward flourishing arts. Downy too got the 10-year residency visa as did Cristiano Ronaldo and Novak Djokovic. Earlier, the residency visa validity was three years. Downy recalled that in 2011 there existed nothing in Dubai in the name of the theatre except the contribution from community-based groups. Since then, the theatre in Dubai has grown. Downy finds this theatre journey good to see. Dubai finds awarding Downy helpful to attract more visitors and investment, which will benefit its residents too.
