Real Madrid fans are likely praying that Cristiano Ronaldo will heed his doctor’s advice and sit out the rest of the World Cup rather than trying to play with a badly injured knee to push his Portugal squad through.
Ronaldo is suffering from a knee injury that would keep any other player out, but the star has been facing pressure to play in his team’s critical match against the United States on Sunday. The team could risk elimination after already losing 4-0 to Germany, leading many to call on Ronaldo to step in and try to bring some magic.
But Ronaldo is still badly hurt and was seen limping out of the team’s training ground with his knee strapped up. Ronaldo had already missed two warm-up matches with a sore thigh and tendinitis in his knee.
A Spanish online newspaper, El Confidencial , reported that Portuguese surgeon Jose Carlos Noronha told Ronaldo: “Let your knee rest, or your future is in danger.”
But Cristiano Ronaldo is reportedly keeping his options open.
“I’m the one that says whether I’m playing or not,” the Real Madrid star reportedly said.
Ronaldo has declared that he was “100 percent fit” to play before Portugal’s 4-0 loss to Germany, but then reportedly suffered a setback due to his knee problem.
Doctors have indicated that Ronaldo could suffer a career-ending injury if he tries to play on the knee, which likely doesn’t make Real Madrid brass happy. The team already saw star defender Fabio Coentrao go down with an injury in the tournament.
Losing Ronaldo could be a devastating blow for the Spanish club, which lost in the championship match of La Liga this year. Ronaldo scored 31 goals in 30 games this season , adding another 17 in his club’s 11 matches in the UEFA Champions League.
While the team awaits the future for Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid has been busy shaping up its roster. The team has reportedly suspended contract renewal talks with Sami Khedira amid doubts that he will be ready to play after his injury.
