Portuguese captain Cristiano Ronaldo, who was injured in the final of the Euro 2016, has returned to training with his club Real Madrid ahead of the start of the new campaign.

Ronaldo played in the final against host France after seeing off their Welsh opposition in the semi final stage. The three-time FIFA Ballon d’Or winner was roughly tackled by Dimitri Payet, and he picked up a knock on his knee/thigh. He stayed out through the game but returned at the start of the extra time and supported the team to glory.

The injury was believed could take as much as eight weeks for the 31-year old player to return to full action. However, the player was pictured in the training camp of Real Madrid just a month out from the injury, meaning he was ahead of the schedule. He was welcomed by his club and country team mate Pepe at Ciudad Real Madrid on the outskirts of the country capital. He wasn’t in action when Madrid narrowly piped 3-2 Sevilla to the UEFA Super cup title on Tuesday. Sevilla were almost crowned European Champions being that they were Europa League winners after trouncing Liverpool last term, but a late goal from Sergio Ramos pushed the game beyond regular time where Dani Carvajal scored a stunning solo effort.

Los Merengues will face Real Sociedad in the first round of the La Liga games on August 21, and Ronaldo has been declared doubtful to play the game. The player is in line for his fourth Ballon d’Or title, after scoring 51 goals in 48 games in all competitions helping Madrid to an eleventh Champions League title, and then leading his country to the Euro 2016 win. Coach Zinedine Zidane called for patience and calm regarding the injury situation.