Cristiano Ronaldo interview with Chinese Youku TV turns sour as Juventus superstar cuts short chat
TV celebrity Gao Xiaosong not impressed by Portuguese striker as interview becomes an unpleasant experience on Beijing promotional tour
Cristiano Ronaldo has been criticised by a television host for being late and impatient on his promotional tour of China, where a member of his management team reportedly swore in Portuguese on the set of a morning talk show in Beijing.
The 33-year-old Portuguese, who sealed a shock move to Juventus earlier this month, is on a promotional tour of China following the World Cup.
According to musician and host Gao Xiaosong, Ronaldo’s sponsor asked Gao to interview Ronaldo and promote their brand on Youku TV’s Xiao Shuo programme.
“I like Ronaldo and I promised [to do the interview],” Gao wrote in a post on microblogging website Weibo a few days after the interview.
But Ronaldo arrived over an hour late for his scheduled appearance, Gao claimed. The former Real Madrid star was booked to appear for 45 minutes from 11.45am, Gao said, but did not show up on set until 12.55pm, with Ronaldo’s team cutting the interview off early after only 31 minutes.
Told to wrap up the interview – conducted in English – the encounter apparently turned sour when Gao asked a question about Ronaldo’s future plans for retirement.