Ronaldo slumps to 13-year low at Man Utd
Cameron Smith
- 12 Feb 2022 17:11 GMT
- 4 min read
Cristiano Ronaldo has been one of the defining figures of the footballing world since the turn of the century, with his consistent elite performances a force of nature.
He has collected five Ballon d'Or awards, scored over 800 senior goals, and won 34 trophies across his career, and in 2021 he decided to move back to Manchester United, the club that truly launched his career.
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He returned to Old Trafford after more than a decade away and has continued to score goals. Ronaldo has netted 14 goals in all competitions this season, most notably six in just five Champions League group stage games, but he is now on his worst goal-scoring run since 2009.
The Portuguese superstar has failed to find the back of the net in his past six club games, which is his longest goalless in 13 years. It shows that he is slowing down in terms of production, but also reveals his immense consistency throughout his peak campaigns.
His most recent Manchester United goal came against Burnley in the final game of 2021, a match in which he also contributed an assist.
However, in the past five games since he hasn't been able to score.
Which teams has Ronaldo faced on his goalless run?
The first game was against Bruno Lage's Wolves, who have become a defensive rock under their new manager. They have kept eight cleansheets in the Premier League this season, and one of these came at Old Trafford as Joao Moutinho's goal sealed their first ever win away to Man Utd.
Unlike against Burnley in December 2021, where he had seven shots on goal, Ronaldo was restricted to just two against Wolves, and he was marked out of the game.
| Versus | Shots on target | Post/bar | xG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southampton | 2 | - | 0.29 |
| Burnley | - | 1 | 0.39 |
| Middlesbrough | 2 | - | 1.87 |
| West Ham | 1 | - | 0.31 |
| Brentford | - | 1 | 0.16 |
| Wolves | 1 | - | 0.08 |
| Total | 6 | 2 | 3.09 |
The second match was against Brentford, which came after he missed the draw with Aston Villa due to a slight injury issue. Despite the win, Man Utd had just five shots on target compared to Brentford's nine, and were arguably lucky to come away with all three points. Ronaldo couldn't impact the game, and was taken off with Man Utd winning 2-0.
Next up was West Ham. Again, Ronaldo couldn't capitalise on his side's dominance, and it took a 90+3 minute Marcus Rashford winner to seal the win. Ronaldo did put up two key passes during the game, however - the most he's managed in a single game this campaign.
In the shock FA Cup fourth round loss to Middlesbrough, Ronaldo netted his penalty in the shootout, but couldn't prevent a humiliating exit from the competition.
The fifth game in this goalless run came against Burnley in Man Utd's 1-1 draw at Turf Moor. Ronaldo was dropped to the bench by Ralf Rangnick, with Edinson Cavani preferred through the middle, but when the Portugal captain entered the fray he was unable to snatch the win.
On February 12, the run continued with a disappointing performance in a home draw with Southampton. Ronaldo did have one glaring opportunity, but after rounding Fraser Forster saw his weak effort cleared from the line.
Of course, most forwards endure such dips in their career, and Ronaldo's six-game run only serves to underline his excellence over a prolonged period of time.
