Cristiano Ronaldo is known for his starring abilities on the pitch – but why does he always wear long sleeves?
The Man Utd & Portugal forward is known to don the long sleeves in favour of the normal short-sleeves, sometimes even in the summer, where temperatures are much warmer.
GOAL takes a look as to why.
Why does Cristiano Ronaldo always wear long sleeves?
There is no official reason as to why Ronaldo prefers wearing long sleeves over the traditional short-sleeve shirt, but he could be doing so for a number of explanations.
The most obvious reason is that the long sleeves provide added warmth and bodily protection, especially during the cold winter months. Ronaldo has played club football exclusively in Europe, and the winter months are cold and bitter – especially in the United Kingdom. So, wearing long sleeves makes sense for a player who has to play football outside in sometimes freezing conditions on the regular.
It is important to note, though, that Ronaldo seems to wear long sleeves regardless of the weather, and donned the long sleeves during Euro 2020, which took place in the warmer summer months.
Weather conditions aside, it is also possible that Ronaldo wears long sleeves often simply because he is keen to establish a signature look, as a fashion choice. Ronaldo has always been style and brand-oriented, so perhaps he feels that wearing long sleeves when short sleeves are the norm make him stand out a bit more.
David Beckham also wore long sleeves when he was active in his career, as well as Fernando Torres.
Has Cristiano Ronaldo always worn long sleeves?
While Ronaldo does seem to always wear long sleeves, he does don short sleeves from time to time on occasion.
Ronaldo wore the short sleeves as recently as Euro 2020, and even changed into short sleeves after wearing long sleeves in the first half group-stage game against Germany.
It was, however, above 30 degrees Celsius in Munich when the game was played, so it would make sense for Ronaldo to change into something slightly more breathable.
GettyThe Portugal superstar wore long sleeves during the disastrous Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 tournaments – campaigns which ended with Ronaldo in tears – and so changed to short sleeves for the next two international tournaments. He changed back into short sleeves in Euro 2021, where Portugal were knocked out in the semi-final.
The forward wore long sleeves during the Euro 2016 final against France, which Portugal won to be crowned continental champions.
Ronaldo also switched into short sleeves from long sleeves during the 1-0 loss last-16 to Portugal. Be it superstition, or simply just accommodating to weather conditions, Ronaldo continues to be a trend setter.