Cristiano Ronaldo is considered as one of the greatest football players of his generation and perhaps ever. But unfortunately, all stories come to a close and as things are looking now, Ronaldo’s is heading towards its end.
Mind you, this is the story that you hear quite often, especially after a few bad games. We are all used to hearing transfer talks and Cristiano departing for Manchester, Real, China or who knows where.
But the numbers don’t lie! Ronaldo averages a goal in every 24 shots in Seria A this season and a goal in every 8.8 shots in the Champions League. By comparison, his bitter rival Messi has a goal every 3.5 shots in the Champions League.
Is Ronaldo’s time finally ending? Can we expect further decline from him in the years to come?
Fatigue
Cristiano Ronaldo is 34-years old now and has played a staggering amount of games in his 17-year long football career. He mustered 982 games for club and country during that time and one might say that he is feeling a little bit fatigued.
During all that time Ronaldo mostly played the whole 90 minutes of each match, rarely not finishing games. He has been relentless during his time and never missed a major competition for his country.
But the fact that Portugal has already qualified for the upcoming Euro 2020 means that Cristiano is going to have more games under his belt. Not to mention to ruling end of the season with Juve as they are competing in an all fronts for trophies. Ronaldo is taking a major toll on his body and the question remains how long is he able to do it and maintain a stellar form at the same time.
Injury Problems
This comes as a direct correlation to the previous topic. Ronaldo’s body can’t endure the pace of the entire season any longer. Playing a staggering amount of games at heavy minutes will most likely result in injuries. And we can’t let go of the fact of his age.
One of the most recent examples is Cristiano being substituted at the start of the second half during the game against AC Milan. Ronaldo was, of course, frustrated with the sub and has left the stadium three minutes before the end of the match.
Juventus’ coach, Maurizio Sarri, issued a statement that Cristiano is dealing with a minor ankle issue that he needs to take care of. It has been plaguing him during the course of the last few games.
Actually, this issue has been plaguing him for the recent part of his career. Fabio Capello even went on to say that Ronaldo hasn’t managed to dribble pass a defender for three years now. It is more than clear that he is slowing down and that his step is leaving him. All of the stats show that his dominant physical abilities are not the same as they used to be before.
Is He Washed Up?
To say that Ronaldo is done is an exaggeration! He still has enough time on his plate and probably a few good seasons in front of him. He just needs to manage his body better and stop taking risks.
We can’t run from father time, it gets the better of all of us, and it will catch up to Ronaldo, but probably not yet.
