"Cristiano Ronaldo Apologizes Directly to Chinese Fans, but Their Anger Remains"

Saudi Al Nassr Postpones Friendly Match in China
Controversy Over 'No-Show' During 2019 Korea Visit

Global football star Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Arabian professional football club 'Al Nassr' suddenly postponed a friendly match against China. Amid great disappointment from local Chinese fans, Ronaldo unusually issued a public apology himself.

On the 23rd (local time), Ronaldo held a press conference with local Chinese sports media and said, "Today is a sad day for me. I have to say sorry to the Chinese fans, especially those who came to Shenzhen," adding, "In football, uncontrollable things happen," expressing his apology.

Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo [Image source=Instagram]

He continued, "China is like my second home, my second hometown," and emphasized again, "I know you are disappointed, but we must also look at the positive side. We did not cancel the match, and we will be back soon. Chinese fans are always in my heart."

On the same day, Al Nassr announced through their official social media (SNS) account that "due to reasons beyond the club's control, the two matches scheduled to be held on the 24th and the 28th (in Shenzhen, China) have been postponed." Originally, Al Nassr planned to play friendly matches against Shanghai Shenhua on the 24th and Zhejiang FC on the 28th.

The 'reasons beyond control' mentioned by Al Nassr are known to be related to Ronaldo's physical condition. It was also reported that Al Nassr promptly proceeded with ticket refunds after the match postponement.

Ronaldo's condition issues had been mentioned repeatedly several days prior. Chinese sports media 'Pengpai' reported that Ronaldo was diagnosed on the 19th with a muscle injury requiring two weeks of treatment and recovery, making his participation in the friendly matches during his visit to China uncertain.

However, the Al Nassr team arrived in Shenzhen according to the friendly match schedule, and tickets as well as accommodations at nearby hotels were already booked. Especially, local fans flocked to Shenzhen upon hearing the news of Ronaldo's visit. Ticket prices reached up to 4580 yuan (approximately 860,000 KRW). But when the club suddenly postponed the match schedule through a press conference, Chinese fans could not hide their disappointment.

Pengpai reported, "Among the crowd, there were people shouting curses to express their dissatisfaction," and added, "Although compensation plans for flight tickets and hotel costs were announced, the hearts of football fans did not improve much," describing the situation on site.

Cristiano Ronaldo during the 2019 Juventus era amid the 'no-show' controversy [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Ronaldo's 'no-show' controversy has arisen in the past as well. Previously, in July 2019, when Ronaldo was with the Italian professional football club Juventus, he participated in a visit match against the K League All-Star team held at Seoul World Cup Stadium but never stepped onto the field.

At that time, public opinion in Korea turned negative toward Ronaldo, who did not play even for a second. A coined term combining Ronaldo and 'robber' as 'Nalkangdu' became popular. Unlike the recent case in China, Ronaldo did not issue a separate apology then.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.