Cristiano Ronaldo apologises to fans for cancelling Al-Nassr's China tour after injury

Cristiano Ronaldo has apologised to the public for his injury, which led to Al-Nassr's cancellation of their two-game tour to China disappointing and concerning his fans.

The Portuguese player would not have been able to play against Zheijang and Shanghai Shenhua due to a muscular injury that he is now treating. The decision has been made to postpone the aforementioned friendly games and reschedule them for a later period, as the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is unable to participate in front of a devoted fan base, according to Goal.

There have been rumours circulating that Ronaldo, who led the world in goals scored in 2023 while playing for Portugal and Al-Nassr, may miss up to two weeks of action. Should that be the case, he might also miss Inter Miami's trip to Saudi Arabia for the Riyadh Cup, which will reunite him with Lionel Messi.

For now, Ronaldo has said of unfortunate events in the Far East: “As you know, in football some things you cannot control. I have played 22 years in football and I am a player that doesn’t have too many injuries. So I’m really sad because Al-Nassr and myself have come to China to enjoy the tour. I have been coming to China since 2003/2004, so I feel at home here – my second home."

"I felt that I am always special here. I feel sad. I know you are sad too, especially the people who love Cristiano, but we have to see this in a good way. We have not cancelled the game, we want to push for the game and be back here. We will be back. Unfortunately, I have some problem, but this is part of football and my life. I’m here, I’m with the fans, I’m with the Chinese people and we are going to continue here." 

He added, "We can see outside the people that are with us. We are sad because we knew this could happen. We will be back to make the Chinese people happy, this is my goal. I want to play for you. Don’t be sad because I am sad and I hope you understand the circumstances of a football player.”

Al-Nassr has been taking advantage of the mid-season break to travel to China, but they will need to adjust their original plans. On February 1, they are scheduled to play Messi and Inter Miami. A week later, they will take on Al-Hilal, and on February 14, they will play Al Feiha in the AFC Champions League.