Cristiano Ronaldo: footballer's no-show shatters ailing fan's 'hope for life'
A boy holds his photo and that of Cristiano Ronaldo at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on July 26. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Park Si-soo
An online article said to be written by a hospitalized boy's sister has gone viral after football star Cristiano Ronaldo's “no-show” controversy in Seoul on July 26.
The article was posted on a
a day before Ronaldo was expected to play in a match between Juventus and the K League All-Stars at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
According to the article, the ailing boy ― having been treated for three years at a hospital in Busan ― is an avid Ronaldo fan. In the hope of giving him new hope for life, his elder sister spent most of her monthly salary to buy two VIP tickets for the game.
She called the match an “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for the boy to see the footballer up close.
“I hope it will help my brother's recovery,” she wrote.
Captured from CLIEN
Cristiano Ronaldo leaves Seoul World Cup Stadium on July 26 after an exhibition match between Juventus and the K League All-Stars. He did not play, citing muscle fatigue and exhaustion. / Yonhap
The match was sold out so fast that she had to buy tickets from scalpers, which she wrote took most of her monthly salary.
“I bought the tickets at inflated prices,” she wrote. “It was really expensive. But I will be OK if the match brings my brother new hope for life.”
She said the boy's doctor had warned him of the risk of a long trip ― from Busan to Seoul ― but this did not dampen the boy's passion to see Ronaldo.
“He shouted 'you are awesome' and jumped on the (hospital) bed after I told him we would go to see the match. How cute he was,” his sister wrote. “He just fell asleep after tossing and turning for a while in excitement. (He is) now sleeping, grabbing Ronaldo's jersey. He looks so happy.”
She ended the article with a sentence wishing for good luck during the trip.
“I was told it's likely to be raining tomorrow. Please pray for our safe trip.”
But Ronaldo did not play in the game. The football star sat on the bench with his arms crossed as 60,000 fans booed. He left the country without apologizing or giving fans an explanation.