Cristiano Ronaldo frequently shares photos of himself having fun in his spare time, but one of his most recent photo took some eagle-eyed fans off guard. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder posted a photo of himself in a sauna as he recovers from his trips with Saudi club Al-Nassr.
Typically, the snapshot on Instagram showed off his fantastic physique as he sits with his hands clutched, appearing serious. Fans, however, noticed something unusual: Cristiano Ronaldo had painted his toenails black. And many of them wondered whether it was part of his ‘fashion’, or was there a particular reason he did it.
The mystery behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s painted toenails
There’s a reason Cristiano Ronaldo paints his toenails black, and it’s the same reason why many great athletes, including MMA fighters, paint their nails. According to a source quoted by the German newspaper Bild, sportsmen paint their nails or cover them with a protective layer to protect them from fungi and bacteria.
They said: “Many top athletes do this to protect their nails from fungi and bacteria when they are stuck in sweaty shoes for hours. Even Mike Tyson.”
Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t the only high-level athlete who paints his toes during competition; former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski does the same. It is stated that it helps fighters keep their toes from cracking or splitting up. A layer of nail polish hardens the toenail, reducing the risk of the nail being injured during a fight.
It’s yet another example of a player who has always gone above and beyond to establish himself as one of the best of all time. The 38-year-old, who won five Ballon d’Or awards while in Europe, has scored 11 goals in 12 games since joining Saudi side Al-Nassr following his severance from Manchester United.
But it hasn’t been all plain sailing for Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League, as he recently failed to reach the back of the goal against Al Khaleej. Moreover, a 1-1 draw at home saw Al Nassr drop crucial points in the title race, and gift-wrap it to their rivals Al-Ittihad who opened a five-point lead at the top of the table.
However, tempers escalated after the full-time whistle, when Ronaldo apparently pushed away an Al-Khaleej assistant coach who wanted to take a selfie with the global superstar. The Al-Kaleej employee appeared more intent on ‘Cristiano Ronaldo’ than he was on celebrating the triumph. The timing of the request was questionable, to say the least, with Ronaldo pushing off the man and refusing to stop.