Chinese football enthusiasts rushed to secure tickets on Wednesday to witness Cristiano Ronaldo in a rare match in their homeland. Multiple online platforms saw a complete sell-out within a few hours.
Ronaldo enjoys immense popularity in football-crazed China, where discontent with underwhelming national team performances and corruption in the domestic game has grown among supporters.
The current Saudi Arabian club of the Portuguese star, Al-Nassr, had announced a “China Tour” featuring friendly matches against Shanghai Shenhua and Zhejiang FC in Shenzhen on January 24 and 28, respectively.
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Fans fervently competed for the coveted tickets when they became available for online purchase just after 11:00 am (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, with several platforms indicating no available tickets by evening. Reports from various media outlets mentioned that seats in all categories, except the two most expensive ones, sold out “within seconds.”
Despite disappointment expressed on social media, some fortunate buyers shared their unbridled joy. One satisfied customer on Weibo wrote, “On January 24, I will be the happiest girl in the whole world.” Another remarked, “Whatever you think of Ronaldo, you can’t deny his greatness as a player. Today, his China tickets came on sale, and I actually got one!”
Comparisons were drawn with Ronaldo’s perennial rival Lionel Messi, who captivated the crowd at Beijing’s Workers’ Stadium last year with a goal after 79 seconds, leading world champions Argentina to a 2-0 friendly win over Australia. Fans of Messi were quick to mock what they claimed was weaker interest in Ronaldo’s visit, with one Weibo user quipping, “Ronny fans must be so happy. His replica shirts get cheaper each year, and now they barely have to scramble for tickets.”