Ronaldo in China canceled: Al-Nassr friendlies postponed due to injury

Ronaldo's trip to China takes a bad turn as friendlies are postponed due to injury.

The much-awaited Al Nassr friendlies in China have been rescheduled because the team's superstar player, Cristiano Ronaldo, is deemed too unwell to play in this week's matches against two Chinese clubs, even though they have traveled to Shenzhen in the Guangdong Province of South China.

Being one of soccer's best athletes, the Portuguese star's physical conditioning is renowned in the sport.

Ronaldo stated that he wants to return to China and considers it to be his "second home".

Ronaldo in China postponed

During a news conference on Tuesday evening, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo stated,

"For me today is a sad day, I want to say sorry to the Chinese fans.

"In football there are somethings you cannot control."

"I feel at home here. I feel this is my second home, not only because the welcome of the Chinese people, but the culture that you have for me. I felt that I'm always special here in this country."

"But we have to see this in a good way, we're not canceling the game. We're gonna postpone the game. We want to be back here to your country. We will be back."

Ronaldo and Al-Nassr to stay in China

Al Nassr CEO Guido Fienga has indicated that the team will not be returning to Saudi Arabia right away, but will instead stay in Shenzhen to finish their season-long preparations.

Al Nassr was supposed to train at Shenzhen Universiade Center Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

Originally, the team was supposed to play Chinese Super League heavyweights Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday and Zhejiang FC on Sunday.

Additionally, the timing of their journey to China coincides with the expansion of people-to-people ties between Saudi Arabia and China.

Before the Saudi team was due to leave for the 60,000-seat stadium on Tuesday, hundreds of supporters waited outside the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Shenzhen, where they are currently based.

Fans who paid for expensive hotels and tickets have been incensed by the initial cancellation claim.

Many of them have been debating online and demanding a refund.

The postponed refund procedure, according to the organizers, will soon begin.

The club stated that they will work with Al Nassr and the organizer to set a new date for the match as soon as feasible.

Ronaldo last traveled to China in 2019 to play a preseason friendly against Inter Milan while with Serie A powerhouse Juventus.

Ronaldo is now expected to be available for the friendly against Inter Miami featuring Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. 

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