Ronaldo was still at Juventus when £53m Paris hotel was due to open

Cristiano Ronaldo’s plans to build a lavish £53m hotel in Paris have reportedly hit a stumbling block. According to those reports, the building may not be ready until four years’ time after several delays.

Ronaldo had hoped to open the four-star hotel in 2021, however, building work has only just begun in recent weeks, as per the Daily Mail. The accommodation, located on the left bank of the River Seine near the Austerlitz train station, is planned to feature 210 rooms, a rooftop bar and a swimming pool with a picturesque view of the city of love.

But the Al Nassr star was still playing at Juventus when they had planned to open. A business insider told the Mail: “The delays must be a blow to Ronaldo who was reputedly personally invested in this project – and if he’s long retired when it opens it perhaps won’t attract the same international attention as a great at the peak of his powers would have either.”

The delays are understood to have be down to public inquiry into the hotel plans by Paris politicians. Once opened it will be Ronaldo’s sixth hotel in the world and his first in France.

The Portuguese skipper already boasts lavish properties in Lisbon, Madrid, New York, Marrakech, and his home island of Madeira. All of which are under his Pestana CR7 hotel franchise.

Ronaldo’s Paris hotel is said to be his biggest yet and is part of an ambitious project called Austerlitz A7A8, which will expand the area into a multi-activity building including 700 parking spaces and 4,000 square metres of offices.

By the time the hotel is completed in 2027, Ronaldo will likely be long retired as he sees out the final years of his career in Saudi Arabia. The 38-year-old does face an uncertain future in the Middle East though after he appeared to grab his crotch towards fans as he was jeered off of the pitch following a 2-0 defeat to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.

Saudi lawyer Nouf bin Ahmed led calls for Ronaldo to be deported from the country, writing on Twitter: “It is considered a crime of public dishonour, and it is one of the crimes that entails arrest and deportation if committed by a foreigner.” But Al-Nassr have since come out and defended Ronaldo claiming that the gesture came after a blow to his genitals earlier in the game.