Cristiano Ronaldo injury update: We might see the Portugal captain out for 4-5 months, Reports

It is not confirmed as to how severe his ACL tear is

The first medical updates on Cristiano Ronaldo's injuries have reported a partially torn ACL that could see the superstar take a significant amount of time off from his duties to Real Madrid. Since he refused to visit any hospitals immediately after the injury, it is not clear exactly how severe his injury is and preliminary statements are based on the reports from the Portuguese medical staff at hand who administered nothing more than first-aid to the Real Madrid star. Ronaldo, reports suggest, insisted on staying and watching his team play from the sidelines all the while visibly encouraging and motivating them to do their best.

Unconfirmed, preliminary check-ups suggest that Cristiano Ronaldo could miss as much as five months which would be a cause for concern for Real Madrid and the supporters of the club and the man around the world. While Ronaldo himself may not be much bothered about his injury at present since he has sufficient reason to celebrate his national team's unlikely victory, the party has to end sometime. Being out for so long may leave a lasting psychological effect on the 31-year-old at, what might be considered, the peak of his career.

The challenge by Dimitri Payet was a completely legitimate tackle although a section of the biased audience might feel otherwise. Replays of the tackle show a horrific angle which completely twisted Ronaldo's knee joint. While it cannot be called intentional at all, the challenge did cause a lot of heartbreak for the man who could not continue playing and had to be substituted soon after.

The Anterior Curate Ligament is one of the two cross ligaments in the knee which is a very common part to get injured among footballers. A torn ACL can only be treated with surgery depending on how critical the injury actually is. There is no dearth of ways to cause an ACL tear including changing direction rapidly, stopping suddenly, slowing down, landing from a jump incorrectly or direct collision like a tackle which is usually followed by an audible “popping” noise.

Fresh out of winning the Champions League last season with Real Madrid, it will be the worst nightmare of most Madridistas if their talismanic playmaker were to be ruled out for the beginning of the season.