It seems like only a matter of time before darts heads to Saudi Arabia, and Michael Smith is hoping it happens soon as his son is desperate to watch Cristiano Ronaldo play.
In recent years all major sports have been given Saudi attention, with the nation splashing the cash in order to bring the action over to the Kingdom - add receiving plenty of criticism in the process. LIV Golf has attracting some of the sport's biggest names, top boxing fight night's are now staged in Riyadh, and major European football teams have played over there, with major players such as Ronaldo transferring permanently to the Saudi Pro League.
The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will also debut later this year, and with Matchroom Sport president Barry Hearn at the centre of negotiations he's also hinted that darts could soon follow. Smith would "love" to be part of a Saudi Darts Masters, and would use the opportunity to take his son to see Ronaldo play for current team Al-Nassr.
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Smith and his youngest son are both Manchester United fans, and his little boy was crushed when the 2023 World Darts Champion attempted to fulfil his dreams of seeing the five-time Ballon d'Or winner play. Smith took his son to Old Trafford when Ronaldo was playing for United during his second stint at the club, but attended the infamous home game against Tottenham where the Portuguese international refused to come off the bench.
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"I took him once at Old Trafford, and it was the game where he refused to come on and walked down the tunnel in the 87th minute so we never got to see him play, I think it was against Spurs," Smith exclusively told Mirror Sport while in New York for the US Darts Masters. "So I'd love to take him out there (Saudi Arabia) to see him play.
"Hopefully we can go next year, and can go quickly because my youngest keeps asking to see Ronaldo so I'd love to take him to see Ronaldo play." The game in question that saw Smith's son get let down was between United and Spurs, and took place in October 2022, shortly before Ronaldo's controversial interview with Piers Morgan, and was likely a contributing factor to his outburst.
Ronaldo stormed off down the tunnel when Michael Smith took his son to Old Trafford (Matt West/REX/Shutterstock)Ronaldo made a dream return to United in the summer of 2021, but just a year later he was already looking to leave after the club failed to qualify for the Champions League.
After remaining at the club for the start of the 2022/23 season, Ronaldo was already unimpressed, but the breaking point came when he was an unused substitute during a 6-3 defeat to Manchester City. Ronaldo clashed with manager Erik ten Hag and made for a difficult first season at the club, and he was severely tested in the game against Tottenham.
When Ten Hag went to put Ronaldo on with United 2-0 ahead, the star refused to come on and instead walked off down the tunnel. Ronaldo then left the club in January after an agreement with Saudi Arabia was agreed on December 30.
Ronaldo has since found a new home in Saudi Arabia but doesn't have long left in football (Yasser Bakhsh)Smith hopes to take his son with him if a Saudi Darts Masters is scheduled in the future, but admits it may be difficult due to the party atmosphere in darts. There is already a Bahrain Darts Masters that has been running since 2023, but playing in Saudi would be a major culture shock.
"Every other sport is there so why not darts? One of the best sports, the biggest party. That is the problem in Saudi, the party side of it," Smith added.
"It's going to be difficult but if I'm part of it when it's there I'd love to go. I like to go to Dubai, I like to take my wife and kids on holiday. Straight from there we go to Bahrain, the kids love it. So why not in Saudi?"
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