Why does Cristiano Ronaldo paint his toenails black?

There’s a reason why Cristiano Ronaldo has remained an elite footballer well into his late 30s – to say he looks after himself is an understatement.

He’s one of the hardest trainers in the game and he’s made the absolute most of his talents over the course of an incredible career.

The standard he plays might have dropped dramatically after moving to play in Saudi Arabia, but he’s still taking every step to get himself ready to perform.

And what’s the most recent example of giving himself every advantage possible? Painting his toenails black.

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The 38-year-old recently shared a picture of himself in a sauna after a recent Al Nassr game, and all anyone could focus on was his feet.

The picture shows Ronaldo has painted his toenails black. As it turns out, the move could be far more than an aesthetic choice.

Ronaldo could in fact be taking inspiration from MMA fighters who have been known to do the very same thing.

He was pictured with MMA star Francis Ngannou on Instagram back in February, and the Portuguese fighter could be seen with painted nails there.

German publication Bild covered the story and confirmed that it’s a choice undertaken by many fighters as a protective measure.

The report reads: “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.”

So there you have it – while Ronaldo could be painting his nails just because he feels like it, the chances are he’s turning to MMA for inspiration, looking for one more way of preparing himself for games.

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