Cristiano Ronaldo could be out of action for around two months, after the Real Madrid star injured his left knee during the recently concluded 2016 European Championships in France, according to reports from Spain.
Ronaldo had a memorable summer with the Portuguese squad as they clinched the Euro 2016 trophy in France, winning their first ever major international title. The Real Madrid star was an instrumental player for Portugal, showing great leadership to guide a young squad to victory at the Championships.
However, Ronaldo sustained an injury to his left knee, 25 minutes into the final against hosts France. While the 31-year-old had to be taken off, it was the less celebrated forward Eder, who earned the victory with a wonder strike in the second half of extra time.
The Real Madrid forward showed great character during the final to come out of the dressing room an hour after his injury, to give his teammates a bit of pep-talk, during the extra time breaks. However, while he was seen prowling the touchline in the last 30 minutes of the final, it is unlikely that Ronaldo will play for Real Madrid anytime soon.
Ronaldo is expected to be out of action for at least one month due to a ligament sprain to his left knee, according to Spanish newspaper AS.
Real Madrid are set to start their pre-season very soon (July 16), but according to Madrid-based publication Marca, Ronaldo will not join Zinedine Zidane and the rest of the squad for their pre-season tour to USA. The Portuguese star is set to go on a 19-day holiday after a busy summer, before he is ready to join Los Blancos.
The AS report also suggest that although there is a chance that Ronaldo may be back after four weeks, the nature of his injury is likely to keep him out of action for around two months. This means that there is a danger of Ronaldo missing Real Madrid’s season-opener, the UEFA Supercup match against Europa League winners Sevilla. As of now though, the 31-year-old is expected to join Zidane & co. on July 31, in New York.
Ronaldo has barely had any injuries since his arrival at Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. The Portuguese is someone who likes to play every minute of every match, barely missing a handful of games every season.
However, the Portuguese star has been having some injury issues lately, as we saw an injury to his right thigh keeping him out of crucial matches against Rayo Vallecano and Real Sociedad in the La Liga, and first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City.
With Ronaldo now being on the wrong side of his 30s, it seems that the Portuguese star will have to take greater care of his body in order to keep performing at the highest level for more years to come.
