Fans have reacted in amazement to the sight of Cristiano Ronaldo’s feet, after the five-time Ballon d’Or showed off his heralded recovery regime.
The 39-year-old grabbed the only goal for Al-Nassr in their clash against Al-Ahli on Friday, his 50th strike since joining the club in 2023.
Having been at the top of the game for more than two decades, the Portuguese’s unrivalled fitness and rehabilitation routine has been well documented.
But as many fans discovered, his glittering career comes at a price. Namely, the state of his feet that have brought him so much success.
Ronaldo posted a picture of himself in a pair of Erakulis trousers, designed to speed up recovery after games, at the £700-per-night St Regis in Saudi Arabia. The image captured his weary and beaten down and swollen feet, which have caused quite the stir.
Cristiano Ronaldo gave fans a glimpse into his recovery regime but they picked up on something entirely different
Fans couldn’t help but notice the state of the striker’s feet while he recovered in Saudi Arabia
’22 years of pro footy man look at his feet.. he wakes up with crazy pain everyday for sure,’ One fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Another wrote: ‘Look at his feet man, imagine the pain everyday,’
‘This is worse than Lebron [James] wow I heard he used to wear super tight boots too.’ A third said, in reference to the iconic image of the NBA legend.
While a fourth joked: ‘His big toes are screaming for help.’
Other commenters remarked on the sacrifice required to perform at the elite level for such a prolonged period.
‘This are the price you pay as the best player in the world,’ One fan said.
Another added: ‘This one of the silent battle players have to go through imagine the pain.’
‘The price footballers pay that we don’t get to see.’ Wrote a third. A fourth added: ‘Damn this one of the biggest price these footballers pay, to be the best in the world again huh.’
Indeed, it is true that Ronaldo has put his body through a great deal of work during his time as a professional.
Ronaldo scored his 50th goal for Al-Nassr in their 1-0 win over Al-Ahli in Jeddah on Friday night
Fans were quick to remark on the battle-weary feet of the 39-year-old following more than two decades in the sport
Friday’s Saudi Pro League clash took his number of matches at club level to a staggering 1,001. He is also the highest capped player in the history of the Portugal national team with 205.
In fact, Ronaldo has made more international appearances than any other men’s footballer.
The former Real Madrid and Manchester United star will now link up with Roberto Martinez’s squad for fixtures against Sweden and Slovenia this week.
Following the conclusion of the league campaign, which Al-Nassr still have faint hopes of ending in their first league title in five years, the striker will be bidding to win his second European Championship this summer.