Enthusiastic fans queue for opening of Cristiano Ronaldo exhibition in Hong Kong

Hong Kong football fans queued for hours on Monday to snap pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo’s trophies and jerseys at an exhibition billed as the first of its kind outside the superstar’s native Portugal.

Visitors at the opening of the “CR7 LIFE Museum Hong Kong” at a luxury shopping mall posed next to life-sized statues of the former Manchester United and Real Madrid player, including one in mid-air celebration and another in traditional Saudi dress.

“Cristiano Ronaldo is my idol… he’s special,” said 14-year-old Alvin Lai, who was first in a queue of more than 100 people.

“He’s the most hardworking person out there,” said university student Henry Singh.

“He’s 40 years old and still going very strong.”

Ronaldo signed a new two-year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr last month, calling it a “new chapter” in an Instagram post.

Al Nassr are due to play in a pre-season tournament in Hong Kong next month.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo will be greeting fans at the museum “very soon”, said Tomas Froes, a representative of the footballer’s family office.

The 12,000 square feet (1,110 square metres) exhibition sends a “strong message for everyone to achieve their dreams”, Froes told AFP.

Organisers have said the Hong Kong exhibition will run for a year before heading to mainland China.