Cristiano Ronaldo Jumps Aboard Lindsey Vonn's Goodwill Express: 'Keep Fighting'

Everyone is rooting for Lindsey Vonn, including the soccer G.O.A.T. Cristiano Ronaldo.

The injured athlete shared a pleasing update about her healing journey, and her comment section has witnessed an influx of well-wishes from all and sundry, across all facets of the world.

Lindsey Vonn abruptly bowed out of the 2026 Winter Olympics about two weeks ago when she crashed a few minutes into the start of her skiing race and underwent multiple surgeries to save her legs.

The former Manchester United player was found lurking under Vonn's comment section with uplifting words about her strength and journey so far. 

"Champions are defined by the moments they win, and the moments they refuse to give up. The mountains you conquered were never bigger than the strength you carry. Keep fighting. Legends always rise," the soccer player declared.

The alpine ski racer reacted to the post, noting that it meant so much to her to read those kind words from the former FIFA world best soccer player. 

Ronaldo was not the only soccer legend to publicly root for Vonn to completely bounce back from her injury. Zlatan Ibrahimović, who once played for Manchester United and AC Milan, also urged Vonn not to see quitting as an option, to which she replied, "NEVER!!"

The soccer champion definitely understands Vonn's perspective, as he has also encountered several hurdles in his illustrious career. As noted by Sportbible, the Portuguese player has been battling with a degenerative knee condition since 2014, which was stated would get worse as the years go by.

Describing the knee condition as tendinosis, an X user in 2021 claimed this was why Ronaldo had to change his football playing technique to make space for his challenges.

The Portuguese Football Association also confirmed his knee injury in a medical report in June 2014, stating that he had suffered a "muscle injury in the posterior region of the left thigh and left patellar tendinosis."

As explained by the Cleveland Clinic, tendinosis happens when something prevents an injured tendon from healing and thus causes the tissue to break down gradually. The condition is described as progressive and painful, and if left untreated, can continue to weaken the tendon till it becomes unusable.

As Vonn announced the good news of finally leaving the hospital, she revealed in the lengthy video that it remained one of the most challenging and painful injuries she has ever dealt with.

She updated her fans and loved ones, noting that she had a complex tibia fracture and fractured her fibula head and tibia plateau. Her compartment syndrome further escalated the situation.

Vonn stressed that due to the compartment syndrome, all the muscles, nerves, and tendons in the affected area were literally gone. However, her expert doctor, who had been with her since she tore her ACL in January, was there to save her leg from being amputated.

The ski racer thanked her fans for the amazing love and support, while wishing that her journey at the competition had a different and more exciting outcome.

She consoled herself with the words that she would rather go down swinging than do nothing, and she was able to achieve incredible feats for the year, especially after she retired six years ago.

Vonn named her medic, Dr. Tom Hackett, more than once in her viral video, crediting him for helping to save her legs from an emergency amputation.

She revealed that he swiftly performed a fasciotomy on her legs as soon as she was rushed to the local hospital, which helped her legs breathe and performed a timely miracle.

"When the injury happened, the situation was quite challenging in many ways but in the end, the situation was brought back into control. Again, thank you, Dr. Tom Hackett. He filleted it open [and] let it breathe, and he saved me," Vonn stated.

According to The Mirror US, Dr. Tom Hackett is widely recognized as an expert in knee, shoulder, and elbow injuries with a special focus on recreational athletes and Olympic gold medalists. Hackett has consistently pushed the boundaries of modern medicine through innovative treatments and surgical expertise.

He earned his medical degree from Creighton University and completed a general surgery internship and orthopedic residency at Boston's New England Medical Center at Tufts University.

While she crashed out at the competition, the athlete was dealt with an even more crushing blow the next day as she lost her dear dog, Leo. As shared by The Blast, Vonn explained that she was able to say her final goodbye to the dog right on her hospital bed.

Though Vonn broke the news a week after it happened, she confessed that it felt surreal processing the loss, and Leo forever had a special place in her heart.

Aside from winning hearts at several games and showing off her excellent ski talents, the star also carried a burning passion for saving dogs. In fact, Leo was her first ever adopted dog, and it proved to be a worthy confidant while she battled her 2014 knee injury.

Lindsey Vonn is definitely not alone in this journey towards complete recovery!