Cristiano Ronaldo becomes Talabat brand ambassador

The Manchester United player features in the delivery app's new video

Cristiano Ronaldo has teamed up with food and grocery delivery platform Talabat. Photo: Talabat

If there is anyone who knows about delivering the goods on time, it is Cristiano Ronaldo.

And now the Manchester United superstar has linked up with the Mena food and grocery delivery platform Talabat as its new brand ambassador.

Talabat said the collaboration with the leading goalscorer in men’s international football will result in him featuring in a number of campaigns and on-ground activations across the Mena region, starting with its q-commerce offering Talabat Mart.

He can be seen in the launch video with groceries being delivered "at the speed of Ronaldo".

“Ronaldo's success is a result of his passion, precision, efficiency and reliability on the pitch," said Tomaso Rodriguez, Talabat chief executive.

"This is aligned with how we operate as a brand, and why we believe people around the region trust Talabat as their everyday app, as we continuously use our tech to optimise everyone's experience.”

Ronaldo has sponsorship deals across a range of industries with companies such as Armani, Nike and Tag Heuer, and recently became the first person to have 400 million Instagram followers.

His collaboration with Talabat comes as the region prepares to host the World Cup for the first time in Qatar in November.

"I know to trust my experience, my intuition and my skill to make sure that I am bringing the greatest delivery for my team, just as Talabat and riders do when they deliver to customers everyday all across the Mena region,” Ronaldo said.

Talabat last year revealed plans to expand its UAE operations by doubling the number of riders to reduce delivery times and adding new services on its app to tap into the potential of "quick commerce".

The delivery app said it plans to double the number of riders to 30,000 by the end of the year, to cut down delivery times to 15 minutes.

Online sales for the UAE’s food and beverage market surged 255 per cent a year in 2020 to $412 million after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry that was released in February 2021.

The value of online food and beverage sales in the country is projected to reach $619m by 2025 and record compound annual growth 8.5 per cent in the period between 2020 and 2025, it said.

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Cristiano Ronaldo at Dubai Expo 2020