Cristiano Ronaldo, the legendary footballer with a global fan base, recently met a 24-year-old superfan named Gong, who cycled from China to Saudi Arabia for seven months to meet him. Starting from his home on 18 March, Gong arrived at Al Nassr Football Club on 20 October. South China Morning Post Informed.
Throughout his journey, Gong cycled through several countries, including Kazakhstan, Georgia, Iran and Qatar, before reaching Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. When Ronaldo’s team learned of Gong’s extraordinary effort, they held a meeting outside Al Nassr Football Club.
During their match, Ronaldo signed Gong’s shirt and posed for several photographs with him. According to the South China Morning Post, Gong faced many challenges. They had to deal with language barriers, budget-friendly food in different countries, and the physical exhaustion of cycling such long distances.
Gong’s trip to Riyadh was inspired when Ronaldo had to cancel a planned trip to China in February due to a foot injury. Gong covered an impressive 13,000 kilometers on his bike, carrying two 60,000mAh power banks, a tent, cooking utensils, clothes and other necessities. In places where food was expensive, they relied on bread and used translation software to communicate with locals. In August, while in Armenia, he fell ill with high fever and collapsed on the side of the road, later receiving free treatment in hospital.
Reflecting on the trip, Gong shared that the experience made him more mature and patient and helped form new friendships. After arriving in Riyadh on 10 October, he waited for several days to meet Ronaldo, who was in Europe at the time. Al Nassr FC staff assured him of a brief meeting, which eventually happened when he saw Ronaldo play in an Al Nassr vs. Al Shabab match, thanks to a fan who offered him a ticket.
When Gong met Ronaldo, the footballer shook his hand, hugged him and signed his No. 7 Al Nassr jersey. Ronaldo also signed a banner with the names of Gong’s friends and the phrase, “What I dream of is true love and freedom.”
In China, Ronaldo or “Si Luo” is celebrated for his record-breaking career, scoring over 900 goals and being the most followed person on Instagram with 640 million followers. Gong is now planning to visit Ronaldo’s hometown Portugal as his next adventure.
