Cristiano Ronaldo Misses Chinese Friendly Game Over Suspected Injury, Putting The Long Awaited Last Dance With Lionel Messi In Jeopardy
Al Nassr was slated to play friendly matches against Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday and Zhejiang on Sunday, but both matches have now been called off. The Saudi Pro League side is in China for a mid-season training camp.
In a statement, Al Nassr said, “We are sad to announce that, unfortunately, and for reasons beyond Al-Nassr’s control, the event comprised of two matches scheduled on the 24th and 28th of January has been postponed to a date to be defined.”
While not spelled out in the statement, reports have suggested that the postponement was due to a Cristiano Ronaldo health issue. With the five-time Ballon d’Or winner proving the main attraction, the club opted to cancel the matches to avoid offering Cristiano’s fans a raw deal by having them buy tickets for matches he’d not play in.
Al Nassr acknowledged the love for Cristiano Ronaldo in China, saying, “We are willing to complete our training camp as planned in Shenzhen, a city that has warmly welcomed us and shown so much love for us and our captain.” Tickets for the matches sold out in a few hours, with Chinese fans excited at the prospect of watching one the greatest football players of all time.
News about Cristiano Ronaldo’s possible injury could not come at a worse time, with the Al Nassr Inter Miami match set for February 1st. If he fails to recover on time, the football world will miss out on the revival of arguably football’s greatest rivalry between two players with thirteen Ballon d’Or trophies between them.
Hopefully, it’s just a scare, and Cristiano will be ready to lace his boots and give the fans one last chance to watch the two greats in action.
