Cristiano Ronaldo ‘health reason’ cited as Al Nassr call off China matches with 24 hours’ notice
- ‘Today is a sad day,’ Ronaldo says as he apologises to his Chinese fans for postponement of matches in Shenzhen on Wednesday and Sunday
- Organisers blame ‘health reason’ involving Ronaldo, without elaborating, and promise refunds for tickets, which had sold out within hours this month
Cristiano Ronaldo’s eagerly anticipated visit to China took a further shock twist on Tuesday evening when his club Al Nassr postponed both of their matches in the country, the first of which was only 24 hours away.
A “health reason” involving Ronaldo was given as the reason for calling off the matches at such late notice, although no further detail was disclosed.
Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr were set to take on Chinese Super League teams Shanghai Shenhua and Zhejiang Pro on Wednesday and Sunday respectively, both in the southern city of Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong.
Question marks had hung over Ronaldo’s readiness to play after he was largely missing from video footage of his team training before the matches, and was seen with tape around a calf in one clip, published last Wednesday before leaving Saudi Arabia.
Chinese social media had already been abuzz with talk of the Portugal forward’s potential absence, amid rumours that he was set to be ruled out for three weeks with injury.
Organisers of the “China Tour” had initially told Chinese media the 38-year-old would feature in both of the scheduled matches at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre Stadium.
