On returning from a two-match ban and reaching the age milestone of 30-years-old, Ronaldo put in a miserable performance.
Football fans have become accustomed to blistering performances by Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, yet the forward was not his typical self in the Spanish derby against city rivals Atletico Madrid.
Luis Garcia, former Barcelona and Atletico Madrid winger, told Sky Sports that he believed Ronaldo had neither the fitness nor the hunger required at the Vicente Calderón Stadium.
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“I think he’s not in shape – he’s not 100 per cent,” Garcia told Sky Sports.
“When you saw Ronaldo playing before you saw him strong, he had the speed, the power. Today he looked like his legs were not strong enough,”
“He was losing the pace, he gave the ball away very easily, and it’s not the Cristiano we are used to,” the winger continued.
The Portugal captain received a rating of just 5.5 by WhoScored.com – the lowest outfield player rating – a figure that should not sit beside the World Player of the Year.
“He’s got the hunger to win every single game, but today we didn’t see that hunger.”
“You could see he was walking around the pitch, and that’s not Cristiano Ronaldo,” Garcia concluded.
The turn of the year has provided mixed emotions for the former Old Trafford hero – after claiming the Ballon d’Or for the second time in a row, the forward’s personal life hit the headlines, and in the league clash against Cordoba Ronaldo received a straight-red for a violent outburst resulting in a subsequent two-match ban.
Sky Sports reported that former Ballon d’Or winners Kaka, Ronaldinho, Andriy Shevchenko, Ronaldo and Michael Owen all lost their form after turning 30 – could Ronaldo be set for the same fate?