Well this is embarrassing. After years of maligning Ronaldo and his weight, assuming it was all to do with him being lazy and not caring enough about playing anymore, it turns out the Brazilian legend has a medical condition. He's been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, meaning his thyroid gland wasn't producing enough of the hormone thyroxin, leading to weight gain.
Good news though, because this should mean a return to fighting weight for the former great, and the possibility of him being great again. Imagine how different the last few years could have been, had this been diagnosed a bit earlier?
Milan say the condition can treated and that the striker has already lost 5.5kg. Not too shabby. So let's put all the fat jokes away, and look forward to seeing him back in action in Serie A this season. He's 31 now, but hopefully has a couple of great seasons left in him still. As a reminder of what we've been missing, here's some footage of exactly how good he was for PSV from 1994 to 1996:
Source: www.soccer-weblog.com
