Cristiano Ronaldo held a press conference to publicly apologize to all his fans in China as Al-Nassr postponed two friendlies in the country in the wake of the striker’s calf injury.
“Well, guys, for me, today’s a sad day. Because I want to say sorry to the Chinese fans, especially in Shenzhen. Because as you know, in football, some things you cannot control. As you know, I played 22 years in football and I’m the player who doesn’t have too many injuries. So I’m really sad, because Al Nassr and myself, we come here to China to enjoy the tour,” the Portuguese star said, as quoted by ESPN.
With the Saudi Pro League taking a midseason pause, Al-Nassr aimed to get close to Ronaldo’s fans in China by playing a couple of friendly matches. The Saudi club had scheduled games against Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday and Zhejiang on Sunday. The first match was called off less than 24 hours before the kick-off, something that upset many fans already present in the city.
“I [have come] to China since 2003, 2004. So I feel [at] home here. I feel this is my second home not only because of the welcome of the Chinese people, but the culture that you have from me. I felt that I’m always [welcome], especially here in that country. So as you can see, I feel sad. I know you are sad, too, especially the people who love Cristiano,” Ronaldo added. “But we have to see this in a good way. When I say in a good way, I mean, we [have] not canceled the game. We’re going to postpone the game. We want to be back here to your country. We will be back.”
Ronaldo’s apology echoes the organizers’ understanding of the disappointed fans, who will be reimbursed for the money spent on tickets, flights and hotels. Al-Nassr also issued an apology, stating they will complete their training camp in Shenzhen while committing to schedule a new match as soon as possible.
Al-Nassr’s next game will be against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami
While Ronaldo’s announcement was sad for all fans in China, it also concerns people outside Asia as Al-Nassr are expected to play Inter Miami on February 1. Ronaldo didn’t mention for how long this injury would keep him on the sidelines, which is why many wonder whether he’ll recover on time to face the MLS side in what could be his final showdown against Lionel Messi.
The South Florida team will travel to the Middle East in the coming days to take part in the Riyadh Cup, which will also feature Al-Hilal. But of course, the game everyone is looking forward to is the one between Ronaldo and Messi’s teams. Therefore, all eyes will be on the Portuguese star’s fitness in the next few days.