A young man from China rode a bicycle from China to Saudi Arabia for seven months. He did it to meet his idol, soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo.
A 24-year-old man surnamed Gong from eastern China's Anhui province started his journey from his home on March 18. This is written by SCMP.
He headed north to Beijing and then west, then entered Kazakhstan from Xinjiang and passed through six more countries, including Georgia, Iran and Qatar, before arriving in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where his favorite footballer is based.
On October 20, Gong met with Ronaldo in front of Al-Nassr football club, fulfilling a dream he had harbored since childhood.
Ronaldo, 39, popularly known on the mainland as “Si Lo”, is the all-time leading goalscorer of all nations with over 900 goals in official matches.
He is also the long-time record holder for the most followers on Instagram at 640 million.
Gong said he was very happy to see his “brother Lo” in person.
The idea of cycling to see his star, came to him after Ronaldo canceled his trip to China due to injury in February.
In total, Gong traveled 13,000 kilometers to see him.
All he took with him was two 60,000 mAh power banks, a tent, kitchen utensils, clothes and some basic necessities.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000In some countries where prices on food products were higher, he ate bread. He used a translator program to communicate with local residents.
In August, he developed a high fever in Armenia and passed out on the side of the road. He was sent to a hospital for free treatment.
Gong says his trip allowed him to make new friends and made him more patient and mature.
When he arrived in Saudi Arabia on October 10, Ronaldo was in Europe for the match, but the staff of FC “Al-Nassr” promised to organize a one-minute meeting between the fan and his idol.
On October 19, another Chinese fan of Ronaldo, nicknamed Apple, invited Gong to a match between Al-Nassr and Al-Shabaab, in which Ronaldo also played. It was the first time Gong had seen his idol play in real life.
In a “fabulous” moment, according to Gong, Ronaldo shook his hand, hugged him and signed a T-shirt “Al- Nasr” at number 7, as well as a banner on which were written the names of Gong's friends and the sentence: “What I dream of is true love and freedom.”
He posted a video of their meeting online and said: “I met my hero.
Gong said his next destination will be Ronaldo's hometown in Portugal.
“How could you look so calm, when he was right in front of you? I would pass out with excitement and keep telling him how much I love him,” one online reviewer told Gong.
My mind was completely blank,
– answered Gong.