Angry Chinese journalists and fans yesterday lambasted an “arrogant” Cristiano Ronaldo after the Real Madrid superstar’s surly performance at a pre-match press conference.

The Spanish club are on a tour to China designed to promote the Real brand in the world’s second biggest economy and tap into the burgeoning wealth of its 1.3 billion population, where football and European clubs are hugely popular.

But some observers said Ronaldo’s behaviour at the press conference on Tuesday in the major southern city of Guangzhou – where he gave often mumbled one-sentence answers – could have the very opposite effect.

“He always seems selfish and arrogant,” said Yan Qiang, vice-president of Titan Media, one of China’s leading publishers, noting the winger is one of the most popular players in China, along with Kaka and Lionel Messi.

Asked at the press briefing about the condition of his injury-prone team-mate Kaka, Ronaldo answered: “Perfecto.”

In an attempt to lift the mood, another Chinese journalist asked Ronaldo, who last year became a father, whether he changed his son’s nappy.

“Of course, as a father it is normal to change the baby’s nappies,” an unamused Ronaldo replied in English.

And asked by AFP if he might ever return to United or English football, he said: “Maybe, why not? You never know.”

China’s massive Internet population, the world’s largest at 485 million, also got stuck into the 26-year-old Portuguese.

I don’t know whether Ronaldo can be the World Footballer of the Year, but I am just sure he will be condemned for what he did at the news conference,” web user “wangjihe” wrote on the sports channel of popular web portal Netease.

“Ronaldo is really good at football but he is really not that modest,” wrote another fan on the website.