Cristiano Ronaldo and Stem Cell Therapy: What Athletes Should Know About Regenerative Treatment

Quick Answer: Did Cristiano Ronaldo Use Stem Cell Therapy?

Published reports from April 2016 stated that Cristiano Ronaldo planned to undergo stem cell treatment while attempting to recover from a thigh muscle injury before Real Madrid’s Champions League semifinal against Manchester City.

Ronaldo had missed three matches because of the thigh injury before returning to Real Madrid’s starting lineup on May 4, 2016. UEFA reported that manager Zinedine Zidane considered him fully fit before the match.

However, publicly available reporting does not allow us to say that stem cell therapy alone caused his rapid recovery.

Professional athletes typically receive intensive rehabilitation, physical therapy, recovery protocols, imaging, nutrition support, and continuous medical care.

Ronaldo’s story is interesting, but it is not clinical evidence that stem cell therapy will produce the same recovery for another athlete or patient.

Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo and Regenerative Treatment

Video Transcript

Cristiano Ronaldo suffered a debilitating injury, but he’s still dominating at age 40. Let me explain how he did that.

I’m Dr. John Dame with The Re/ Clinic, and I specialize in this type of treatment. Let me explain what that treatment is.

So, for some context, Ronaldo in 2016 suffered an injury to his right knee. This injury typically would have required surgery and months of rehab, if not longer.

But instead, he underwent regenerative treatment with something called stem cell therapy.

That therapy allowed his body to heal itself in a way much more efficiently, with less inflammation, less pain, and much quicker than it would have otherwise, and allowed him to, again, return to play and be the dominant force that he is.

Transcript lightly edited for punctuation and readability without changing the speaker’s meaning.

A Note About the Timeline

There are two separate 2016 injuries worth distinguishing.

Reports from April 2016 stated that Ronaldo was pursuing stem cell treatment for a thigh injury before Real Madrid’s Champions League semifinal against Manchester City.

During the Euro 2016 final on July 10, Ronaldo later sustained a left knee injury following a challenge from Dimitri Payet. Contemporary reporting described the injury as a ligament strain and reported that Ronaldo pursued hyperbaric oxygen therapy during recovery. Stem cell treatment for that knee injury was not confirmed in the reliable contemporary sources we reviewed.

This distinction is important when discussing an athlete’s medical history accurately.

1. What Injury Was Stem Cell Therapy Reported For?

On April 20, 2016, Ronaldo developed a thigh muscle problem while playing for Real Madrid.

He subsequently missed three matches, including the first leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League semifinal against Manchester City.

Media reports at the time stated that he intended to pursue stem cell treatment as part of his effort to return for the second leg.

By May 3, UEFA reported that Ronaldo had been declared fully fit, and he started the second-leg match on May 4.

That relatively fast return understandably attracted attention.

But it is important not to confuse what happened after a treatment with proof that the treatment caused the outcome.

2. What Happened to Ronaldo’s Knee at Euro 2016?

A few months later, Ronaldo suffered a highly visible knee injury during Portugal’s Euro 2016 final against France.

The injury occurred following contact with French midfielder Dimitri Payet.

Ronaldo initially attempted to continue playing but eventually left the match in the first half. Contemporary reporting described the problem as an injury to his left knee.

Reports after the final stated that Ronaldo traveled for hyperbaric oxygen therapy while recovering.

This knee injury is often discussed online alongside the stem cell story from earlier that year, which likely explains some of the confusion.

But based on contemporary reporting, the stem cell treatment story was associated with his earlier thigh injury, not clearly with his Euro final knee injury.

3. Why Are Athletes Interested in Regenerative Medicine?

Professional sports place enormous repetitive demands on muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and joints.

Injuries can affect not only comfort but also:

Strength
Explosiveness
Range of motion
Endurance
Stability
Career longevity
Ability to train
Ability to compete

This has created significant interest in biologic treatments such as:

Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP
Bone marrow-derived cell preparations
Mesenchymal stromal or stem cell therapies
Other investigational orthobiologics

Researchers are interested in whether some of these approaches could influence inflammation, tissue signaling, or repair processes following musculoskeletal injury.

The field remains actively studied, and different biologic products should not be treated as interchangeable.

4. How Are Stem Cells Being Studied for Sports Injuries?

Much of the research in sports medicine has focused on mesenchymal stromal or stem cells, commonly abbreviated MSCs.

Researchers have investigated cell-based approaches involving:

Tendon injuries
Ligament injuries
Meniscal damage
Cartilage injuries
Osteoarthritis
Rotator cuff injuries
Post-surgical tissue repair

The proposed biological effects are more complicated than simply injecting cells that “turn into” whatever tissue is injured.

Research also focuses heavily on the signaling molecules produced by MSCs and their potential interactions with inflammatory and repair pathways.

However, biological plausibility does not automatically equal proven effectiveness in patients.

5. What Does the Research Actually Show?

The evidence varies substantially depending on the injury.

A systematic review examining cell-based treatment for soft-tissue sports injuries of the knee identified 14 relevant human studies.

The authors found that most available studies were lower-level evidence and concluded that there was insufficient high-quality evidence demonstrating consistent ligament or tendon healing, meniscal restoration, or reversal of post-traumatic osteoarthritis.

A more recent 2025 review of biologic therapies for tendon and ligament injuries similarly described promising results in some areas while emphasizing major limitations, including inconsistent preparation methods and a lack of large, long-term randomized trials.

This does not mean the field has no potential.

It means the evidence needs to be discussed accurately.

6. Can Stem Cells Speed Up Recovery?

This is one of the most appealing ideas for athletes.

But “faster recovery” is a difficult claim to prove.

Return to sport depends on much more than the biological treatment used.

Factors include:

Injury severity
Exact tissue injured
Rehabilitation
Physical conditioning
Nutrition
Sleep
Previous injuries
Age
Medical care
Training load
Psychological readiness
Return-to-play testing

A professional athlete may also have daily access to physicians, physical therapists, athletic trainers, imaging, recovery technology, and highly individualized rehabilitation.

That makes it very difficult to attribute an athlete’s return to one particular intervention.

7. Does Ronaldo’s Recovery Prove Stem Cell Therapy Worked?

No.

Ronaldo returned to competition after missing several matches with his April 2016 thigh injury.

But his return does not tell us how much improvement came from:

Stem cell treatment
Natural tissue recovery
Physical therapy
Rest
Strength and conditioning
Other medical treatments
Ronaldo’s baseline health and conditioning
A combination of all of the above

That is why celebrity or professional-athlete stories should not be treated as substitutes for clinical trials.

They can show us what therapies elite athletes are interested in exploring, but they cannot tell another patient what result to expect.

8. Professional Athletes vs Everyday Patients

There is another important lesson in athlete stories.

The goal is not necessarily to copy exactly what a famous athlete did.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s body, injury, training demands, medical team, recovery resources, and career goals are very different from those of most patients.

The more useful question is:

What treatment makes sense for your injury and your goals?

For one patient, success may mean returning to competitive soccer.

For another, it may mean:

Skiing again
Playing pickleball
Returning to the gym
Working without constant pain
Walking comfortably
Hiking
Playing with grandchildren
Avoiding limitations in everyday life

The evaluation should be individualized accordingly.

9. What Sports Injuries Are Being Studied?

Cell-based regenerative medicine has been investigated across a variety of musculoskeletal injuries.

Research areas include:

Tendon Injuries

Examples include:

Rotator cuff injuries
Patellar tendon conditions
Achilles tendon injuries
Other chronic tendinopathies

Ligament Injuries

Researchers have studied cellular approaches involving structures such as the ACL and other ligaments.

Meniscus Injuries

Mesenchymal cell-based approaches have also been studied for meniscal tissue repair and as an adjunct to surgical meniscal procedures.

Cartilage and Osteoarthritis

One of the largest areas of regenerative medicine research involves cartilage damage and osteoarthritis.

However, the FDA currently states that regenerative medicine therapies have not been approved to treat orthopedic conditions, including osteoarthritis, tendonitis, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, back pain, and disc disease.

Research should not be confused with FDA approval.

10. What Happens During a Sports Injury Evaluation at The Re/ Clinic?

At The Re/ Clinic in Sandy, Utah, the first step is understanding the injury.

The clinic currently offers regenerative medicine services involving umbilical cord-derived therapies as part of individualized treatment plans.

During a consultation, the provider may review:

The Injury

How did it happen?

Was it sudden or gradual?

What structure is injured?

Your Symptoms

Where does it hurt?

Are you experiencing weakness?

Swelling?

Instability?

Loss of range of motion?

Your Imaging

Depending on the injury, this may include:

MRI
X-rays
CT
Ultrasound
Previous surgical reports

Previous Treatment

Have you already tried:

Physical therapy?
Rest?
Cortisone?
PRP?
Surgery?
Bracing?
Medication?

Your Goals

Perhaps most importantly:

What are you trying to return to?

Regenerative medicine is not automatically appropriate simply because an injury occurred during sports.

Sometimes rehabilitation is the right starting point.

Sometimes surgery deserves consideration.

Sometimes a regenerative treatment may be reasonable to discuss.

The goal of the consultation is to determine which options fit the individual injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Cristiano Ronaldo really get stem cell therapy?

Media reports in April 2016 stated that Ronaldo planned to undergo stem cell treatment while recovering from a thigh injury.

Because his personal medical records are not public, details regarding the exact treatment and protocol cannot be independently confirmed from those reports alone.

Did Cristiano Ronaldo receive stem cells for his knee?

The most reliable contemporary reports we found linked stem cell treatment to an April 2016 thigh injury.

Ronaldo later sustained a separate left knee injury during the Euro 2016 final in July. Contemporary reporting on that injury described hyperbaric oxygen therapy during recovery rather than confirmed stem cell treatment.

How quickly did Ronaldo return after his 2016 thigh injury?

He missed three Real Madrid matches and returned to the starting lineup for the Champions League semifinal second leg against Manchester City on May 4, 2016.

That does not establish that one treatment was responsible for his recovery.

Do professional athletes use stem cell therapy?

There have been reports of professional athletes pursuing various cell-based and regenerative treatments.

However, individual athlete stories do not prove effectiveness, and the exact procedures used can vary significantly.

Can stem cells heal a torn ligament?

Cell-based therapies are being researched for ligament injuries, but current evidence is not strong enough to say that stem cell therapy reliably heals torn ligaments.

A systematic review of cell-based therapy for soft-tissue sports knee injuries found insufficient high-quality evidence demonstrating consistent ligament or tendon healing.

Can stem cells help muscle injuries?

Research into cell-based approaches for muscle and sports injuries continues, but evidence varies significantly by injury and treatment.

The reported use of stem cells by a professional athlete should not be interpreted as proof that they are an established treatment for muscle tears.

Are stem cells FDA-approved for sports injuries?

No.

The FDA states that regenerative medicine therapies have not been approved to treat orthopedic conditions such as osteoarthritis, tendonitis, knee pain, shoulder pain, hip pain, back pain, neck pain, or disc disease.

Are stem cells better than PRP for athletes?

There is no universal answer.

PRP and cell-based therapies contain different biological components and have different evidence depending on the injury.

The decision should be based on the diagnosis, severity, research, patient goals, and treatment options available.

Injured and Trying to Get Back to What You Love?

You do not have to be Cristiano Ronaldo to care about getting back to your sport.

Whether your goal is competitive athletics, skiing, golf, running, strength training, or simply moving comfortably again, the first step is understanding exactly what is injured.

At The Re/ Clinic in Sandy, Utah, our medical team reviews your symptoms, medical history, previous treatment, available imaging, and goals before discussing whether regenerative medicine may be appropriate.

Schedule a consultation with The Re/ Clinic to have your injury evaluated and learn what options may make sense for you.

Call: 385-240-1000
Location: 9035 S 700 E, Sandy, UT 84070

References

1. The Independent. Cristiano Ronaldo injury: Real Madrid forward to undergo stem cell treatment before Champions League second leg. April 28, 2016. Contemporary reporting linking Ronaldo’s planned stem cell treatment to a thigh injury.

2. UEFA. Ronaldo returns but Zidane predicts pain for Madrid. May 3, 2016. Ronaldo returned after missing three matches with a thigh injury and was declared fit for the Champions League semifinal.

3. ESPN. Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo: “I will come back much stronger.” July 18, 2016. Reporting on Ronaldo’s separate left knee injury during the Euro 2016 final.

4. Kader N, et al. Cell-based therapy in soft tissue sports injuries of the knee: a systematic review. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 2021;21(8):1035-1047.

5. Koshy D, Koshy DI, Ooi E. Biologic Therapies in the Management of Sports-Related Tendon and Ligament Injuries: A Narrative Review. 2025.

6. Palermi S, et al. Stem cell therapy in sports medicine: current applications, challenges and future perspectives. Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology. 2023.

7. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Important Patient and Consumer Information About Regenerative Medicine Therapies. Current FDA guidance regarding regenerative products and orthopedic conditions.