Coronavirus isn’t stopping Cristiano Ronaldo from greeting ‘fans’

Coronavirus can’t stop soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from greeting his fans — even if they’re not there.

The world’s most famous player pretended to greet invisible supporters by pantomiming high-fives as he arrived at his latest match, which was being played behind closed doors because of the novel coronavirus devastating Italy.

The Portugal star — the first person to reach 200 million followers on Instagram — is usually swamped with adoring crowds when he arrives for games with his club team, Italy’s Juventus.

With none there because of the lockout, the 35-year-old athlete was seen in a hilarious video clip pretending to walk down the line giving seven high-fives to no one, breaking into a giant grin at the end.

He later also applauded to each corner of the empty stadium in Turin as if being cheered on by supporters during the game, which saw Juventus beat key Serie A rivals Inter Milan 2-0.

Italy has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with more than 7,000 confirmed cases and at least 366 deaths. All major sporting events, including top-flight Serie A soccer games, have been ordered to be played without fans for a month in a bid to curb Europe’s worst outbreak of the virus.

Some are calling for even harsher measures, with Italian Footballers’ Association president Damiano Tommasi arguing that “stopping football is the most useful thing for our country right now.”

“The teams to cheer are playing in our hospitals, in emergency rooms,” Tommasi insisted.

The president of the Italian Football Federation, Gabriele Gravina, has refused to rule out the suspension of Serie A soccer if a player tests positive for the coronavirus.

With Post wires