Gary Lineker lauds Cristiano Ronaldo as the latter makes his Moroccan hotel available to provide refuge to the victims of earthquake

BBC lead presenter Gary Lineker hailed Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portugal superstar made his Hotel Pestana CR7 available for stay to those affected by the devastating earthquake in Morocco.

Tragedy struck Morocco yesterday (September 9) when a catastrophic earthquake occurred near the historic city of Marrakesh. The 6.8 magnitude earthquake reportedly killed more than 2012 people and injured a further 2059, with the toll steadily increasing (via Al Jazeera).

As per AS, Cristiano Ronaldo selflessly decided to aid those affected by the disaster. The 38-year-old has made the Hotel Pestana CR7 available for those seeking refuge. The luxury hotel has 174 rooms and will be used to provide assistance to those who have been rendered homeless.

Gary Lineker praised Ronaldo on X (formerly Twitter) by tweeting:

"Well played @Cristiano"

This isn't the first time Cristiano Ronaldo has conveyed his compassion. The Al-Nassr ace facilitated a plane full of resources to help those affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquake that occurred in February 2023.

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"Everyone thought that I was so crazy" - Cristiano Ronaldo defends his decision to join the Saudi Pro League

Al-Nassr superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has defended his decision to join the Saudi Pro League, even claiming he was proud to be part of the growing league.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner shocked the world of football when he decided to join Al-Nassr in January, signing a lucrative two-and-a-half-year contract with the Riyadh-based outfit.

The Portugal skipper attended a press conference earlier this week while on international duty where he said (via ARAB NEWS):

“Criticizing something is normal, and what league doesn’t get criticized? It’s common to have problems and controversies anywhere, including Saudi Arabia, Portugal and the current situation in Spain.”

He added:

“Everyone thought that I was so crazy about this move. But after all, it is not so crazy anymore. Now, it is normal to play in the Saudi league. As a player in Al-Nassr I have been playing there for eight months and I feel the improvement.”

The Saudi Pro League has also attracted an abundance of top European talent this summer, with the likes of Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane jumping ship. Ronaldo expressed his desire for the league to continue to grow in similar fashion in the future as well:

“For me, it is an honor to change how people see that country and its culture. Not only that, but also the level of football is great now and that makes me very proud. I want the Saudi League to continue to evolve in the upcoming years to become a remarkable top league.”

Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed a good start to his Al-Nassr tenure so far, scoring 20 goals and providing seven assists in 24 appearances.