Soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo shared a seemingly normal photo to his Instagram stories. However, looking at it closer, some people saw concerning things that let them wonder how he’s doing health-wise.
Only those with sharp eyes managed to spot it.
Cristiano Ronaldo was on vacation with his family on a secluded island when he decided to share a few photos with his fans on Instagram. Besides giving a sneak peek into his quality time with family on a beach-side resort, he also showed how he’s taking time to help his body recover from the intensity of professional soccer matches.
One photo in particular, captioned with «Recharging,» shows him lying down with his bare feet by a pool. Although the situation itself is pretty ordinary, people online think the state of Ronaldo’s feet is not good.
A fan took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express worry over the fact that his feet seemed to be deformed. «22 years of pro football and look at this man’s feet,» the user wrote. «He wakes up with crazy pain everyday for sure.»
Others agreed, but also recognized that it’s part of his job as an athlete and that it’s a choice he made consciously. «He wears boots that are like two sizes too small for him because he likes the feel, this is what happens to your feet when you do that for 22 years,» someone else added, with the information being backed up by media reports. «One of the many sacrifices he’s made to stay on top.»
Players’ sometimes complain about the state of their feet after a match.
Adam Lallana, an English Premier League player who currently plays for Brighton & Hove Albion, once went viral for posting a photo of his feet right after a match. In 2018, then a Liverpool player, Lallana showed the not-so-glamorous side of being a professional soccer player.
After he played on a wet and cold winter day his feet weren’t the prettiest sight. However, what’s most shocking of all is that he didn’t even play the entirety of the 90-minute match. He came on as a substitute around the 70th minute and so only played for about 20 minutes.
Jokingly, he turned to Instagram to ask for «Any suggestions for defrosting feet,» and ended up leaving people stunned at the toll his feet had taken. Besides having bright white toes from the cold, in the photo it’s visible a large bruise and a band-aid covering his right big toe as well.
Someone reacting to the photo expressed that the real condition of players’ feet is very rarely talked about, particularly how it impacts the way they play on the field. «Lallana’s toes are examples of little niggles that fans like us will never hear of,» they pointed out.
«It explains sometimes why players switch feet before shooting, scuff shots, mishandle passes, etc. People who’ve had no direct exposure to football, even at lower levels, cannot imagine the kind of bumps and bruises players receive in every game — and this is even before we consider pinching, which is so prevalent in lower league games,» they concluded.
It’s common for players’ feet to be affected by years of playing soccer.
According to a podiatrist with a decade of experience working with English Premier League clubs, many players opt for undersized boots to enhance ball contact and minimize foot movement, leading to toe bunching, calluses, and heightened blistering—a common yet uncomfortable outcome.
But that’s not all. The lightweight and flexible material with which modern boots are made of increases the risk of damage caused by opponents from fouls or accidental run-ins. That alone can leave them blood trapped underneath their toenails. And «when they get stamped on by opposing players, they get thick toenails,» the expert added.
Every little thing can lead to a major injury as well, because even something as simple as a blister can make players offload their weight to different parts of their foot, and therefore risk developing Achilles issues and stress fractures as a consequence.
Top-tier footballers, often featured in major boot advertisements like Ronaldo himself, enjoy the luxury of having their boots custom-designed to fit their precise requirements. However, that in no way means it decreases their chances of getting injured or developing long-term medical issues.
Boot manufacturers often prioritize the player’s demands for agility and speed over injury prevention, a trade-off that the same podiatrist acknowledges to be well-accepted among those playing at a high level.
And all this means that although Ronaldo’s feet might be a worrisome sight, they are actually a common reality within the world of professional soccer. And, even though there’s no way of us knowing whether or not the Portuguese 39-year-old player does wake up in pain every day, we praise his dedication to the sport and the sacrifices he makes to keep overperforming.
It’s not just male athletes who spend most of their time to making sure their body is always in tip-top shape. There are plenty of women who are devoted to sports and fitness as well. A woman known as the «Shredded Kendall Jenner» is one of them. She’s a bodybuilder whose extremely muscular physique paired with her elegant looks have been stealing the internet’s attention. Check out her photos here.
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