Cristiano Ronaldo issues public apology as Al-Nassr cancel tour of China due to injury blow for star forward
Al Nassr have called off two planned friendly matches in China this week after an injury made star player Cristiano Ronaldo unable to participate.
The Saudi Pro League side had been scheduled to face Shanghai Shenhua on Wednesday and Zhejiang on Sunday.
Thousands of tickets had already been sold for both matches, with local fans excited to see 38-year-old Ronaldo in the flesh.
But Ronaldo recently suffered a muscular injury, so Al Nassr decided to abandon the tour, although the plan is to return to China at a later date once the former Real Madrid forward is fit again.
A club statement issued on Tuesday read: "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.
"We came here in Shenzen with a lot of respect for Chinese football fans and specifically for the fans of Ronaldo. Taking this into consideration, in addition to the tight relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and China, we, Al Nassr, 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.
"Furthermore, we have agreed with the organizer to schedule a new match as soon as possible.
"Al Nassr Club has always shown and proved its unconditional commitment with this event and has travelled with its full squad including Cristiano Ronaldo in order to participate in this tour.
