Healing Ronaldo

Healing Ronaldo Portugal's star is the best soccer player in the game. Can his exhausted body survive the rigors of the World Cup? BY BRAD STENGER BRAIN CRISTIANO RONALDO WAS BUILT TO PLAY SOCR. NAMED THE BEST PLAYER IN THE Sports scientists say the recuperating Ronaldo needs to get ample sleep. Fatigue could impair his decisionmaking at key moments. world this year, the 29-year-old Portuguese goal scorer boasts an unusually high pro- portion of what physiologists call fast-twitch muscle, which allows him to accelerate, leap beyond defenders and shoot powerfully from a distance with little setup. But not even Ronaldo's body was built for the strain he has endured over what has been a par- ticularly grueling season. He is currently recovering from leg injuries that are a result of his playing an enormous number of games for his club team, Real Madrid, and for Portugal's national team. His injury history, age (he has been playing for major teams since he was 17), physique and even his travel schedule are factors that increase his in- jury risk in the World Cup, which starts June 12. His fitness level may affect whether Portugal is one of the two teams that advance from its first-round group, which in- cludes Germany, Ghana and the U.S. Portugal is leaving as little to chance as possible and has hired a physical therapist from the Real Madrid sports-medicine staff to look after Ronaldo and two other teammates with physical vulnerabilities. The battle to keep this soccer phenomenon healthy is an around-the-clock task. METABOLISM A strict schedule of sleeping, eating and hydration supports recovery from injury. Ronaldo needs to sleep in stretches of eight or more hours, and when awake, he should eat small amounts of food every few hours. Height: 6 ft. I in. Weight: 176 lb. RONALDO'S BODY WHAT HE PUTS IT THROUGH Number of sprints during the 30 first- division games he played for Real Madrid in the 2013-14 season Number of shots taken in those 30 games Total miles run in those 30 games 378 316.6 992 (The average attacker sprints 775 times over the same number of games) (Average attacker: I17 shots) (Average attacker: 337 miles) LEFT HIPS HOW HE RECOVERS HAMSTRING AND KNEES Real Madrid's medical staff diagnosed Ronaldo's ham- string injury on April 10. After resting for some games, he played three more times before reinjuring the hamstring on May 7. That sidelined him until he played in Europe's Champions League final on May 24. Every athlete is subject to muscle strains in the hips and legs. The preponderance of strong, fast-twitch muscles in Ronaldo's legs generates higher levels of force, making his joints and soft tissue vulnerable to injury. Because of the number of games Ronaldo plays, recovery is as important as training. He relies on water-based therapies to speed up the healing. (1) Contrast bath therapy He alternates between five-minute hot and cold baths for a cycle of 30 minutes to help circulation. The therapy also has an anti-inflammatory effect on any soreness that may have occurred during a game. (2) Pool workout He swims for 20 minutes, then hoses himself down with high-pressure jets of water to further aid circulation. (3) Turkish bath LEFT CALF KNEE He sweats it out for five minutes, then hoses himself down again. The intense blasts of water have a calming effect on the nervous system, allowing Ronaldo to sleep better. Ronaldo sat out Real Madrid games on April 5 and 8 with knee tendinitis. This came after a 21-day period during which he played Notice the tape on Ronaldo's leg. The stretchy adhesive is often used by professional athletes and is thought to correct and support the alignment of muscles, particularly after an injury, making it easier to produce the force needed for game-day performance. RIGHT ANKLE Ronaldo played 122 games in the two seasons that spanned 2006-08 for Manchester United and 13 games. Portugal and later required ankle surgery to remove loose cartilage. EAST RUTHERFORD, N PRINCETON, BRANAS FOXBORO 12, 13, 14 15 16, 17 18, 19 FOOT The connective tissue in the foot the fascia-is wrapped around nerves that are critical to ball control. Tired players make mistakes with their feet. Not Ronaldo: 22 of his 61 goals so far this season were scored PRINCETON WHERE HE GOES USBON I He will travel more than 16,000 miles 99. 30 31, 20 in 34 days after the 7oth minute. 2, WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY BARBARA TASCH ABOVE PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION: JOE GIDDENS-AP LEFT BORIS STREUBEL-GETTY IMAGES SOURCES: PROZONE: FIFA: UEFA AS: BBC: GUARDIAN: MEN'S HEALTH: ESPN; SHY SPORTS: DAVID TENNEY, SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: CHRIS WEST, UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT: JOHN SULLIVAN, CLINICAL & SPORTS CONSULTING SERVICES