Ancelotti Plays Down Ronaldo Injury Concerns

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has played down concerns that the injury suffered by current World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo may be serious. The 29-year-old appeared to suffer a serious back injury in the club’s first match of the season against local rivals Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid, coming as the Copa del Rey winners, were taking on Atletico, who were the league champions last season, in the Super Cup. The match finished as a 1-1 draw with the summer’s marquee signing James Rodriguez scoring the goal for Madrid.

Ronaldo has been a major player for Madrid in the last five years. He has scored a goal every game for the Spanish club during this period. Even though they have spent more than £ 150 million in bringing the duo of Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez in two successive summers, the club still rely heavily upon Ronaldo. Dismissing the concerns that the player may miss the first few weeks of the new season, Ancelotti said that everything would be clear after results from the scan come up. Ronaldo has barely missed a couple of matches in the last five years and he is regarded as one of the fittest players around.

The 29-year-old recently helped Madrid win the UEFA Super Cup by scoring two goals against Sevilla in the final. “Cristiano had strain and was not comfortable. Tests tomorrow. At first it does not seem so serious. In the first half we were pretty good. We were in control of the game throughout, the team played very well, above all in midfield where the three played well. Atletico have a small advantage as we need to score at the Calderon. We have the possibility of scoring goals there,” said Ancelotti about the injury concerns for Ronaldo and the match result.