The Cristiano Ronaldo roadshow pitched up in China this week as Nike took CR7 on his first individual pre-season tour. When Ronaldo's in town a circus of mayhem duly follows and that was the case as he touched down in Shanghai and then Beijing. The CR7 brand pursues world domination, and Cristiano Ronaldo normally gets what he wants.
The birth of the pre-season icon tour, that's what 2017 has delivered. Nike and Neymar have already hit up Los Angeles, adidas and Pogba toured China, and now CR7 has headed east to further elevate his superstar status in a blossoming football hotbed. China is where it's at right now. It's where the potential is, it's where the start of a journey is, and it's where the money is. And that's why it's where Cristiano Ronaldo and Nike are.
Cristiano Ronaldo begun his 2017 China Tour by landing in Shanghai to surprise fans before a CSL match between Shanghai SIPG and Guangzhou FC, before visiting Shanghai's Nike Hauihai Store where a surge of CR7 fans surrounded the scene. A kick around on the Shanghai skyline rounded off day one as CR7 packed for Beijing.
Lacing up in signature style, Ronaldo surprised players at the Nike League Finals before heading to the Nike Mercurial genealogy at House of Brilliance in the Chinese capital. The next stop was a visit to an art exhibition inspired by football culture in Beijing's 798 Art District where Ronaldo was presented with custom Nike Mercurial Superfly designs ahead of returning the favour by awarding the MVP's of the Nike League with limited-edition CR7 Mercurial Campeões boots.
Nike have worked closely with grassroots football in China since 1997, and the brand’s commitment to Chinese youth football was solidified in 2007 when it joined forces with China’s Ministry of Education to create the country’s first senior high football league. Ronaldo’s visit to Shanghai and Beijing is the latest move by Nike to further embrace Chinese football culture and take the game to the next level. The price the big Chinese clubs would pay to get him there full time...
