Cristiano Ronaldo Injury at Euro 2016 Accidental, UEFA Chief Referee Claims; Recovery Updates and Therapy
According to Pierluigi Collina, chief refereeing officer of UEFA, Dimitri Payet didn't injure Cristiano Ronaldo on purpose. Payet tacked Ronaldo on the 9th minute of the 2016 UEFA Euro Finals match between France and Portugal. He tried to continue but had to be stretchered out after a few minutes as he sunk to the pitch, crying in pain.
In an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, Collina said that Payet's entry was a foul, and it is debatable whether he should've been given a yellow card or not. "But the dynamic of the battle – knee to knee – it was accidental. It is an unfortunate episode. Payet did not want to hurt him."
Translated from French, Payet said, "I came to a duel, period. I recovered the ball. Afterwards, if I hurt him, it was not voluntary. It is not in my nature to be a bad person on the ground."
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Despite team Portugal's star player being injured, the team went on to win and become the 2016 UEFA Euro champions against France and their home crowd.
Recovery Updates
Ronaldo needs one more month of recovery. After that, he will be allowed to play again. That's just in time for Madrid's 3rd La Liga match versus Osasuna. He won't be able to play against Celta de Vigo and Real Sociedad.
Pictures of Cristiano Ronaldo in Ibiza show him wearing a knee brace, and he seems to be handling his injury just fine.
Cristiano Ronaldo enjoyed the Ibiza beach with his son, Cristiano Junior, and his mom, Dolores, 61 years old.
Therapy
While on vacation in Ibiza, Ronaldo visited a clinic, known as Clinica Evidental, to undergo hyperbaric oxygen therapy. This will help speed up Ronaldo's knee injury recovery.
In this chamber, Ronaldo will breathe pure oxygen, increasing the blood's oxygen level and allowing speedy healing of the injury. Studies have shown promising results for the hyperbaric oxygen therapy, but these have been limited to a small scale. More evidence may be required to confirm the therapy's effectiveness.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Ronaldo's former boss at Manchester United, described Ronaldo as "the special footballer of his generation." Ferguson added that Ronaldo's football desire is incredible, and that he is always aiming to achieve victory and make himself a better athlete. Ronaldo has a knack of performing well during big games.
Ferguson adds that what separates Ronaldo from other top players is his longevity. Top players have a stint of high level greatness that spans 5 to 6 years, but Ronaldo has been great for more than 10 years now.
