Player Focus: Ronaldo's Disappointing Outings Against La Liga's Best

Real Madrid’s decision to dismiss Rafa Benitez came as a relief to many of the fans and the majority of the squad. Over recent months, a number of players had voiced their discontent at the Spaniard’s workings and while president Florentino Perez backed Benitez publically until the end, he was left with little choice but to relieve the 55-year-old of his duties despite a far from disastrous season in terms of results. In his place comes Zinedine Zidane, with the idea that the Frenchman could be the club’s very own Pep Guardiola having been promoted from Real Madrid B to the senior side. 

While the Frenchman stuttered with Real Madrid Castilla, the hope is his appointment will appease a number of the club’s star players who were considering departing the Bernabeu while Benitez was in charge. One of those reportedly unhappy with the now-former Madrid coach's ethos was Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal international is one who favours the spotlight, while when things aren’t going his way, the 30-year-old often makes his frustrations known. 

Nevertheless, it hasn’t stopped Ronaldo from enjoying a strong season to date, on the face of it at least. Only Luis Suarez (15) has scored more La Liga goals than Ronaldo (14) this season, while his five league assists is second only to Madrid teammate Gareth Bale and Neymar (both 7). However, while the figures are indeed commendable, the standard of the opposition masks his notable goalscoring return. Ronaldo has often been criticised for underwhelming in the so-called big games of late. 

This season alone, his second lowest WhoScored rating in a match came against Barcelona (6.48), while three of his worst ratings in a league game were in meetings with the other three teams occupying the top-four spots - Barcelona, Atletico Madrid (6.77) and Villarreal (6.70). It isn’t just his poor performances against these teams either, but also his goalscoring record against the teams in the top half of the table.  

Of the 14 league goals he has scored this season, only two have been against teams currently in the top half of La Liga - Celta Vigo and Eibar, the latter of which was a penalty in a game where he received a modest WhoScored rating of 6.87. Furthermore, six of the 14 league goals scored came against four of the bottom six teams in La Liga, while failing to net in matches against the likes of Granada and Sporting Gijon. 

This inability to find his way to goal against La Liga’s better teams is an ongoing concern for Ronaldo as he has aged, but with Benitez at the helm, it had increasingly become more worrying for the attacker. For the first time in the last seven league seasons, Ronaldo’s WhoScored rating is currently below 8.00. Benitez’s conservative tactics of course limited his offensive influence, but when the onus was on Ronaldo to hit the back of the net, he failed to have the impact he once did. 

It’s not for want of trying either, with Ronaldo again averaging more shots per game (6.4) than any other player in Europe’s top five leagues this season. However, that average is his joint-lowest in the last seven league campaigns. It appears as though with time, Ronaldo’s influence for Madrid is beginning to wane, particularly against tougher opponents. Against sides that will sit back to soak up pressure, a player of the Portuguese’s calibre will undoubtedly punish them, as was the case against Espanyol back in September when Ronaldo netted five in a 6-0 win. 

However, when teams play higher up the pitch and boast the personnel capable of halting Ronaldo, he is struggling to properly affect games in the same manner of old. It’s no wonder rumours suggesting this could well be his final season at the Bernabeu continue to gather momentum, particularly with PSG reportedly interested. With Perez keen to see Gareth Bale succeed in Madrid, and with the Welshman the most like-for-like replacement for Ronaldo, the latter could indeed make room for the former to properly thrive. 

Of course, the shackles could well be removed now with Zidane at the Madrid helm, potentially providing Ronaldo with the opportunity to improve his goalscoring record against La Liga’s best teams and add to the 14 league goals he has scored this season. Yet, such underwhelming displays against the league’s better sides could suggest that the sun is beginning to set on Ronaldo’s remarkable career.

What do you make of Cristiano Ronaldo's performances for Real Madrid in La Liga this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below