Cristiano Ronaldo has signed an extension to his contract at Real Madrid, keeping him at the club for another five years. However, this wasn’t the biggest revelation of the day, as the former Manchester United forward stated his hopes of playing for another decade.
At the age of 31, that would take Ronaldo into his early forties and surely, he would struggle to play at a lower level at that age, never mind for one of the biggest clubs in the world? The Portuguese has already broken Raul’s goal scoring record at Real Madrid and has his sights set on reaching 500 goals before hanging up his boots. It took Ronaldo less than half the number of games to break Raul’s record, so nothing should be discounted when it comes to goal scoring feats but there have already been signs of the player showing decline in terms of his output.
Ronaldo has scored 371 goals in 360 appearances for Real Madrid, since joining them from Manchester United in 2009. During his first four seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ronaldo’s consistency was superb and on average, during that time, you could go and watch Real Madrid play, in the knowledge Ronaldo would have seven shots during the game and score a goal. That’s how good and consistent he was. Not only was Ronaldo scoring goals at an unbelievable rate, he was setting up goals for his team mates. Ronaldo is known as being a selfish player but between 2009 and 2015, he created 65 goals for his team mates, a figure which falls only behind those achieved by Lionel Messi, Mesut Ozil and Cesc Fabregas in the top European leagues.
Ronaldo has won two Ballons d’Or playing for Real Madrid and not only has he set personal records at Real Madrid, he has helped the team to win La Liga and two Champions League titles. These have come at a time when Barcelona have been at their peak, making each achievement a testament to his hard work and ability.
Between 2013 and 2015, Ronaldo scored at the best rate of his career but towards the end of the 2015/16 season, something became noticeable. Ronaldo was no longer providing goals for his team mates, as he had been during the rest of his career at Real Madrid and his chances created per 90 minutes was at its lowest since he joined the club. Ronaldo has turned into a finisher.
Throughout the 2015/16 season, Ronaldo had the least amount of touches and passes per game than any other season wearing the famous white shirt. His overall involvement in Real Madrid’s play is clearly dropping and that is sure to continue over the next few years, as age dictates the position and amount of work he can put in during 90 minutes at the highest level.
Ronaldo may continue playing football after his new contract at Real Madrid expires but it is highly unlikely it will be in the Spanish capital. Perhaps Major League Soccer will be calling his name but the fans at the Bernabeu will have new heroes to worship in ten years’ time.