 - attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran. After that, teams from Saudi Arabia refused to travel to Iran for any international sports competition, saying their security was not guaranteed. Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Fans have flocked to Ronaldo's Tehran hotel But after seven years of playing matches in neutral locations, Saudi Arabia has now lifted its ban in time for this Asian Football Confederation Champions (AFC) League fixture. Two major changes this year have made all this possible. Firstly, Iran and Saudi Arabia restored their diplomatic relationship in a deal brokered by China. Secondly, Saudi clubs began investing heavily in hiring world-class football talent in their domestic league. The AFC announced that for this year's Champions League, an agreement had been reached and teams from Iran and Saudi Arabia would face each other on a home and away basis. And then there was the draw and it could not get any bigger than this: Al Nassr and Ronaldo coming to Tehran to face Persepol){kind=link}
Crowds of Iranian football supporters have flocked to welcome Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to Tehran – even chasing his team’s bus.
The 38-year-old forward is there with Saudi club Al Nassr, who are taking on Persepolis on Tuesday evening.
Fans gathered outside his hotel for a rare opportunity to see the legend close up.
Waving replicas shirts, they celebrated the end of a ban that had kept Saudi teams away for seven years.
Given Iran’s turbulent diplomatic relationships with the rest of the world, top football clubs and their stars rarely visit the country.