La Liga giants Real Madrid travel to Espanyol on Sunday fresh off their Champions League exit. Having crashed out in the semis at the hands of Juventus, Los Blancos have little to play for in the remainder of the season.
The Liga BBVA title appear out of Carlo Ancelotti’s team’s hands, with first-placed Barcelona needing only to match Real Madrid’s score for their round 37 tie in order to secure the league crown.
Regardless of the trophy-less season on the horizon for the 10-time Champions League winners, one Real Madrid man has a lot left to player for: Cristiano Ronaldo.
For the Portuguese ace, despite losing out on un decima, the 30-year-old still has his eyes firmly locked on the Pichichi, as he aims at finishing this season’s Spanish Primera Division as top scorer.
However, arch nemesis and Barcelona superstar is hot on his heels. Ronaldo currently has 42 goals to his name in La Liga, Messi has 40.
.@Cristiano Ronaldo is the forerunner for the 2014/2015 European Golden Shoe, with 42 goals to his name (84 points). pic.twitter.com/J2k6RNnfOs
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) May 16, 2015
This weekend fixture, though, will hand the former Manchester United ace a golden opportunity to break further away from La Pulga and increase his lead at the top of the goalscoring charts.
Whilst the four-time Ballon d’Or winner is due to visit Atletico Madrid for the Blaugrana’s game, with the aim of finding the back of the net at the Vicente Calderon, Cristiano will head over to the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, a ground where has encountered with difficulties scoring.
This may be shocking for the prolific attacker that he is, but in Real Madrid’s last five trips to Espanyol, Les Merengues registered eight goals, with none coming from Ronaldo.
Despite a prolific Real Madrid career, that 30-year-old is five games without a goal at Espanyol
Cristiano Ronaldo's career goals: [307] Real Madrid [118] Man United [52] Portugal [18] Portugal (youth) [5] Sporting FC
— Real Madrid Stats (@RMadrid_Stats) May 16, 2015
Real Madrid have won 12 of their last 14 clashes with the club from Catalonia, so the Bernabeu side are favorites to collect all three points. Uncertainty remains over their number 7 superstar, however.
Then there is, of course, the European Golden Shoe race also at stake, which Ronaldo leads. These two accolades will prove a wonderful consolidation prize for his team’s disappointing campaign, but these two awards are not quite yet in Ronaldo’s hands.
