Hundreds of football fans lined up for hours in Hong Kong on Monday to catch a glimpse of Cristiano Ronaldo’s trophies, jerseys, and memorabilia at the launch of a new exhibition celebrating the global icon’s career.
Billed as the first of its kind outside Ronaldo’s native Portugal, the CR7 LIFE Museum Hong Kong opened at a luxury shopping mall, drawing crowds eager to pose with life-sized statues of the football legend. Highlights included figures of Ronaldo mid-air in his signature goal celebration and another dressed in traditional Saudi attire.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is my idol… he’s special,” said 14-year-old Alvin Lai, the first in a queue of more than 100 visitors.
“He’s 40 years old and still going strong,” added university student Henry Singh. “He’s the hardest-working player out there.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, recently signed a two-year extension with Saudi club Al Nassr, calling it a “new chapter” in an Instagram post. Al Nassr are scheduled to play in a pre-season tournament in Hong Kong next month.
Tomas Froes, a representative of Ronaldo’s family office, said the star will be making a personal appearance at the museum “very soon.”
Covering 12,000 square feet (1,110 square metres), the exhibition is designed to inspire. “It sends a strong message for everyone to pursue their dreams,” Froes told AFP.
The Hong Kong exhibition is set to run for a full year before making its way to mainland China.
