Cristiano Ronaldo dropped a clanger at his Al-Nassr unveiling by confusing Saudi Arabia with South Africa.

The Portugal captain, 37, was unveiled in Riyadh after agreeing a record-breaking £173 million-a-year deal with the club. As well as turning out for Al-Nassr, the mega money two-year deal will see the five-time Ballon d’Or winner act as an ambassador for Saudi Arabia, but it didn’t get off to a great start.

Speaking at the bizarre unveiling, during which people in attendance at the press conference applauded and begged for selfies, Ronaldo said, “For me it is not the end of my career coming to South Africa. This is why I want to change and to be honest I really don’t worry about what people say. I took my decision and I have a responsibility to change that.”

Ronaldo was greeted by thousands of supporters and a packed press conference – but many in attendance looked more like fans, shouting “SIU”, his trademark celebration, during the proceedings. All the soft-ball questions were asked by a club official, who also asked for a selfie at the end, and any journalists in attendance were not allowed their own questions.

On making a move to play in Asia for the first time, Ronaldo declared that his work in Europe was “done” and that he had rejected a number of offers from around the world. Reports earlier in the day had suggested that the deal included a clause which could see him join Saudi-owned Newcastle on loan should they reach the Champions League, although they were swiftly denied.

Ronaldo said, “In Europe my work is done. I won everything, I played for the most important clubs in Europe and now it is a new challenge in Asia. As nobody knows, I can say now I had many opportunities in Europe, many clubs in Brazil, Australia, the US, even in Portugal, many clubs tried to sign me.”

The former Manchester United striker, who saw his Old Trafford contract terminated last year following an explosive interview with Piers Morgan, was then led into the changing rooms to meet his new team-mates before being introduced to fans.

Supporters had bought tickets to see his short presentation on the pitch, where Ronaldo thanked everyone for his welcome and said it was a “pleasure” to be at the club. He then volleyed a number of signed footballs into the stands and posed for snaps with players from the academy and women’s team at Al-Nassr.

Ronaldo had already claimed that a significant factor in the move was to develop the “feminine side” of the game in Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to fans on the pitch, he said, “What I expect to achieve is to make people happy, to enjoy myself and to help the country be better and better and better. Not only men’s football but also feminine football, which people don’t know.”

• The Sun report