Cristiano Ronaldo is finished at the top level
On Sunday, at the Balaidos, Real Madrid had a certain individual to thank for dragging them back into a game. It certainly wasn’t the first time that has happened over the past few years, but the certain individual who has made a habit of rescuing his team was missing in action. Instead, it was Gareth Bale who was Real’s saviour this time.
Indeed, there was a certain symbolism to the contrasting performances of both Ronaldo and Bale in the 2-2 draw with Celta Vigo. While the latter made the most of the chances that came his way, showing a real goalscoring instinct, the former cut a dispirited figure. The Portuguese forward was anonymous, making scant impression on the match.
There wasn’t even the usual frustration that tends to come with a below-par Ronaldo display. There were no tantrums or flailing limbs. Instead, there was a sense of resignation that is not normally a character trait of Ronaldo. It was almost as if a realisation had, at some point, washed over the 32-year-old.
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The decline was always going to happen. The former Manchester United forward has impressively changed and adapted his game over the years, finding a way to stretch out his ability, but at some point, adaptation will matter little. Ronaldo is a player who relies on his physicality and now into the twilight of his career, that physicality is starting to let him down.
It’s evident in the pace he has lost. In fact, it’s rare that Ronaldo even beats a player anymore, often depending on his teammates to provide the service for him as a poacher or a runner on the shoulder of the last defender. But he is now struggling to even perform those duties, as demonstrated by his dismal performance against Celta Vigo.
Earlier in the season, Ronaldo had justified his place by contributing a series of assists. But with Bale back from injury, the Welshman could now become the focal point of Real Madrid’s attack, drawing play away from Ronaldo.
What role will he take up then? How will Bale, who has morphed into a more complete forward, co-exist in the same side as the five-time Ballon d’Or winner?
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In truth, Ronaldo has become something of a luxury for Real Madrid, although nobody at the club has had the gumption to admit as much. Zinedine Zidane is arguably the most powerful Real Madrid manager in a generation, but not even he would escape the bluster that would be provoked by the dropping of the club’s greatest ever player.
It might not be long before Zidane has no choice, though. Ronaldo will most likely get his hands on more silverware, and will certainly score many more goals, but at the top level, he is all but done as an individual match-winner. He might be the incumbent Ballon d’Or holder, but Ronaldo is no longer the force he once was.
This isn’t a decline but a demise. That is obvious now.
A watershed moment in Ronaldo’s Real Madrid career could be about to arrive, though. The Portuguese is currently angling for a new contract having watched both Lionel Messi and Neymar bypass him as the best paid player in world football, but initial indications suggest that Real Madrid are unwilling to put up any more cash. How that news goes down will say a lot about Ronaldo’s long term future at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Compromise will be needed on both sides. Humility isn’t one of Ronaldo’s best qualities, but in the latter years of his career he will need to show some. He must find a way to physically and mentally manage his decline, because it has already taken effect.
