Fans upset after Ronaldo no-show at Dubai Mall

Football star Cristiano Ronaldo failed to show up for a planned visit to Dubai Mall on Tuesday, leaving fans disappointed.

The Real Madrid and Portugal player was due to visit the mall to raise funds for international charity Save the Children, it was announced last week.

But following the player's no-show, Dubai Mall officials said on its Facebook page: "Hey fans. We understand your disappointment on Cristiano Ronaldo's event being cancelled however the event was managed by a third party and was not in our control.

"There is no confirmation recieved as to why it is cancelled. Thank you for your understanding."

A number of fans had earlier left questions on the page asking where Ronaldo was.

Last week it was reported that he was to take part in Dubai Sports Council's (DSC) Sixth Dubai International Sports Conference, and would meet fans in the mall on December 27.

He is also lined up to be a speaker at the Save the Children gala dinner on December 28 being held at the Armani hotel in association with the third Globe Soccer event, where game shirts donated by the world’s top 10 footballers will be auctioned off in a bid to raise additional funds for the children.

Ronaldo, the former Manchester United striker, was awarded the title of FIFA world player of the year in 2008, and has a huge fan base in the UAE.

His last visit to the emirate was in 2007, when he tried out some of Dubai’s top tourist adventures.