Cristiano Ronaldo’s quick tour of Singapore came to a close on Saturday, with the Portuguese football star dazzling supporters with his hands rather than his feet.
His skill with a racket and ball was on display when he participated in a game of padel for more than 1,000 young and adult volunteers at Victoria Junior College (VJC).
Padel is a game played in pairs on an enclosed court that combines elements of squash and tennis.
Despite the absence of a trophy, the five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or displayed his normal spirit of competition by first playing two young players before taking on Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth Edwin Tong and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng.
Ronaldo would wince every time he missed a shot or a volley, but he would beam when he made a point, raising his arms in celebration to the cheers of the audience.One of the fortunate pupils, Praksheeta Kuppusamy, 17, got to play padel against Ronaldo.”It is such an unbelievable experience to get the chance to play against him,” the VJC tennis player remarked. It sounded like it was going to be a really friendly game, but when he entered, he began whacking the ball. He really meant it.
“He is so motivating and encourages me to improve greatly in my tennis training.”Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the school’s main entrance three hours prior to Ronaldo’s match on Saturday, displaying Ronaldo’s mania. His security team struggled mightily to keep the gathering that surrounded him inside the school’s grounds from the time he arrived shortly after 5 o’clock until he left at about 5.30 o’clock.
In what has been dubbed a #BeSIUPER weekend, the 38-year-old, who moved for US$200 million (S$270.4 million) to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr in January, is in town to support two young scholarships donated by longtime friend and billionaire Peter Lim.The Peter Lim Scholarship through the Singapore Olympic Foundation was supported by Saturday’s visit to VJC. The program, which was established in 2010, has already benefited athletes like Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling and local sprint champion Shanti Pereira.
4,402 scholarships totaling S$9.2 million have been given to student-athletes competing in 54 sports between 2011 and 2022.During his two-day visit to Singapore, Ronaldo’s limited appearances have sent hearts racing.
