The image of Cristiano Ronaldo, surrounded by moths and tears streaming down his face after the clash with Dimitri Payet indicated a sense of impending defeat for Portugal in the European championship final back in July.
But what appeared to be an irreplaceable loss in personnel, quickly galvanised the Portugal team and ultimately inspired them to victory with Ronaldo assuming the role of assistant coach on the sideline.
Christiano Ronaldo butterfly / Moth Euro 2016 Final Portugal France pic.twitter.com/fGYuzrHF4D
— cpacentenario2016 (@cpacentenario16) July 31, 2016
A delighted Ronaldo was seen hobbling about amid the title celebrations and it later transpired that he had damaged his knee. Ronaldo took full part in Real Madrid training today and appeared to be in relaxed humour, joking and laughing with his teammates.
And after missing Real Madrid's opening three games of the new season, the 31 year-old is expected to make his return this weekend in a home La Liga game against Osasuna. Real Madrid manager Zinidine Zidane says he's glad to see their star back on his feet.
"We are happy to have him back. This is his first match of the season, 60 days since his last one."
Ronaldo scored 35 goals in 36 La Liga games for Real Madrid last season.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
