Cristiano Ronaldo has said he risked his career by playing in the Champions League final for Real Madrid and following it up by representing Portugal at the World Cup.
The 29-year-old, who has netted 17 times in 11 games so far this season, struggled with a number of injuries towards the end of last season but still managed to play a pivotal role as Los Blancos won the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
Madrid’s medical staff has urged the forward to take a complete break to recover from knee and thigh problems. But Ronaldo decided to make himself available for the side’s biggest matches – and it was a decision that worked brilliantly as he scored in the semi-final of the Champions League against Bayern Munich, and found the back of the net in Lisbon against Atletico de Madrid as Los Blancos finally won La Decima.
In an interview with ESPN, Ronaldo stated: “In your life you do not win without sacrifices and you must take risks. We were taking part in big competitions and it was difficult. Things went well, I beat the record for goals in the Champions League. On holidays I rested and looked after my body. Sometimes I bring my body to the maximum, all elite athletes do that.”
And he continued: “If I had stopped I would have been fine. I did not want to miss the final of the Champions League or the World Cup. I was not fully fit, but I forced the issue. On a club level it went well. We won, I scored and the team achieved La Decima, which was what we all hoped for. With Portugal it did not go so well.”
