Cristiano Ronaldo Limps Off La Liga Match with Recurring Injury 17 Days Before Champions League Final
Real Madrid Star struggles to stay fit for crucial matches.
Real Madrid now has a tough hill to climb with their Spanish La Liga Title virtually lost after only managing a draw against Valladolid away from home on Wednesday night.
The Spanish giants went in the game without US $123 million signing Gareth Bale who has picked up an injury. All eyes were on 2014 Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo to lead the team in the must-win game.
Eight minutes into the crucial game, Ronaldo was forced off the pitch and out of the match with a recurring hamstring injury. Ronaldo had been in doubt to play in Real Madrid's semi-final match against Bayern Munich but came back in time to score twice during the game which, along with two spectacular headers from defender Sergio Ramos, sealed their spot in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.
During the Real Madrid training session last Tuesday in preparation for the game against Valladolid, Ronaldo had been spotted holding his left leg while talking to team manager Carlo Ancelotti.
The match ended with a 1-1 draw leaving Real Madrid four points behind Atletico Madrid and one point behind Barcelona with only two matches remaining in the season. While mathematically still able to win, La Liga hopes seem dim for Los Merengues with their title hopes resting on Atletico losing one match and at least getting only a draw on the other or losing both remaining matches.
The Portugese international must recover in time for Real Madrid's UEFA Champions League final against city rivals Atletico Madrid on May 24 which will be held in front of his home crowd at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon. He will also be leading the entire Portugese squad in the upcoming FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil.