After days of conflicting signals from Real Madrid, the club has finally confirmed that Cristiano Ronaldo has suffered a thigh strain injury, making him a doubt for their massive Champions league semifinal trip to Manchester City next week.
Ronaldo, 31, didn’t complete the midweek game against Villarreal having walked off clutching the back of his right leg late on, although coach Zinedine Zidane dismissed fears of a serious injury at the time.
However, Madrid have now said that medical tests have identified a muscle damage, though they are unsure how long Ronaldo will be out of action for.
“After the medical examinations conducted today [Friday] on our player, Cristiano Ronaldo, a the Hospital Universitario Sanitas La Moraleja, he has been diagnosed with a muscle strain in his right thigh,” a club statement read.
“His progress will be monitored.”
The Portugal star, who has not missed a minute of La Liga or Champions League football this season, has been ruled out of the weekend’s clash against Rayo Vallecano as the 10-time European champions sweat on his fitness ahead of Tuesday’s clash with City.
The three-time ballon d’Or winner leads the race for the Pichichi (top-scorer) prize in La Liga with 31 goals – one ahead of Barcelona’s Luis Suarez – having scooped the award for the past two seasons.
