Pain of Gains: Ronaldo shows battered legs in post-match recovery
Fans have reacted with astonishment to the sight of Cristiano Ronaldo’s feet, after the five-time Ballon d’Or winner showed off his reported recovery regime.
The 39-year-old scored Al-Nassr’s only goal in their clash against Al-Ahli on Friday, his 50th goal since joining the club in 2023.
At the top of the game for over two decades, the Portuguese’s unrivaled fitness and rehabilitation routine is well documented.
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But as many fans have discovered, his successful career has come at a price. Namely the condition of his feet which have brought him so much success.
Ronaldo posted a photo of himself in Erakulis pants, designed to speed recovery after matches, at the £700-a-night St Regis in Saudi Arabia. The image shows his tired and swollen feet, which made a lot of noise.
Fans couldn’t help but notice the state of the striker’s feet during his convalescence in Saudi Arabia and reacted accordingly
“22 years of professional football, look at his feet… he wakes up in crazy pain every day for sure,” one fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Another wrote: “Look at her feet man, imagine the pain every day. »
“This is worse than Lebron (James), wow I heard he wore really tight boots too,” said a third, referring to the NBA legend’s iconic image.
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While a fourth joked: “His big toes are screaming for help.”
Other commentators have highlighted the sacrifice required to perform at the elite level for such a prolonged period.
“This is the price you pay as the best player in the world,” said one fan.
Another added: “This is one of the silent battles that players have to go through, imagine the pain.”
“The price footballers pay that we don’t see,” wrote a third.
A fourth added: “Damn, that’s one of the biggest prices these footballers pay, to be the best in the world again huh.”
Friday’s clash in the Saudi Pro League took his number of club matches to a staggering 1,001.
He is also the most capped player in the history of the Portugal national team with 205.
In fact, Ronaldo has made more international appearances than any other male footballer.
Before returning to Roberto Martinez’s squad for matches against Sweden and Slovenia this week, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star took some time with his family.
His partner Georgina Rodriguez showed the forward strolling on the beach with his children, as well as soaking up the sun at their lavish resort.
After the conclusion of the league campaign, which Al-Nassr still has faint hopes of winning their first league title in five years, the striker will attempt to win their second European Championship this summer.