Cristiano Ronaldo misses second straight day of training. Could he miss El Clasico?
By Ben Sundock
Leading goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo missed his second consecutive training session Wednesday as Real Madrid begin preparation for FC Barcelona and El Clasico. Here’s what this means to the team.
After hurting his calf during the FIFA Club World Cup, there is some worry the five-time Ballon d’Or winner could miss the big match Saturday against Barca.
Both Tuesday and Wednesday, Ronaldo trained alone inside at the Valadebebas facility in preparation for the match. While many fans may be worried about the Portuguese player’s status for this weekend, you shouldn’t be.
From all indications I have seen, this doesn’t seem like a serious injury or an injury that could prevent CR7 from missing this weekend’s match. Especially this match against Barcelona. For one, Ronaldo has not been listed on Real Madrid’s official injury list, nor has the club released an injury statement on him like they usually do with players who sustain serious injuries.
A statement released by the club said, “Cristiano Ronaldo worked separately from the group, while Luka [Modric] also trained alone out on the pitch as he continues his recovery process.”
Cristiano made mention of the slight discomfort he felt in his calf but seemed determined to play Saturday. “I felt an issue in my calf in the second half, but I kept playing. For sure on Saturday I will be fine.”
CR7 is one of the fiercest competitors to ever play the game, so to think he would miss out on an El Clasico as crucial as this one is crazy talk. Even if he isn’t 100%, Ronaldo will find a way to play in this match, and Zidane will be okay with letting him go if he seems like himself.
Zizou will surely not pass up an opportunity to reunite the BBC of Cristiano, Karim Benzema, and Gareth Bale who seems set to make his first start since late September if he can make it to the weekend without picking up yet another injury (knock on wood that doesn’t happen).
The Santiago Bernabéu is sure to be rocking as the Catalans come to town for the first meeting between the two in the league campaign and Ronaldo should be on the pitch.
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