Cristiano Ronaldo’s global influence left Eminem and Conor McGregor in the shade at Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou

Rio Ferdinand has declared Cristiano Ronaldo's global appeal was on show during Tyson Fury’s clash with Francis Ngannou on Saturday.

The Al Nassr forward was in attendance for the boxing bout in Saudi Arabia alongside a host of stars from the world of sport, music and television.

Rapper's Eminem and Kanye West and former UFC champion Conor McGregor were among the familiar faces in attendance, but it was Ronaldo who was the star attraction of the evening alongside partner Georgina Rodriguez.

Ferdinand, who was also present in Riyadh, talked up ex-teammate Ronaldo’s huge global influence and star power which saw the Euro 2016 winner continually displayed on the big screen over the course of the evening.

“He’s [Ronaldo] walking into the building with some of the biggest sporting legends ever under one roof and he’s the stand-out superstar in that building,” the former Manchester United defender told his FIVE YouTube show.

“It’s nuts. And when people say ‘there’s other sports bigger than football’… no there isn’t.

«There’s no bigger sport than football. Football is the stand-out sport. NFL, NBA I don't care who you are, they can’t compete with football.»

Ferdinand was later asked where Ronaldo was seated during Fury’s split decision victory over the boxing debutant, to which the TNT Sport pundit confirmed he was given the ‘best seat in the house.’

“Where else do you think he’s gonna sit?,” Ferdinand replied. “His excellency [Mohammed bin Salman] is only going to have the biggest dons sitting next to him.

«Cristiano was sitting next to him, that’s the way it goes. The biggest person gets the best seat in the house next to the main man.

“He had it, Eminem was down the line somewhere.”

Ronaldo’s global influence continues to rise despite