There have been five rounds of matches played in the Champions League and defending champions Real Madrid have progressed to the knockout phase for the 20th consecutive time. But even after they made it through, no one can really ignore the elephant in the room; Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal-shy approach so far in this campaign. We take a look at how the Portugal captain has been fairing in this competition in comparison with some of his greatest rivals in the game.
How Cristiano Ronaldo compares to Messi and Neymar in 2016/17 UCL
Goals
The Real Madrid forward has scored two goals so far in this competition compared to his main rival Lionel Messi, who already has nine, and is the competition’s top goal scorer this season despite playing one match less than CR7. To put the matter into perspective for CR7’s fans, Arsenal’s injury-prone forward Theo Walcott has three goals in this competition, one more than Cristiano. The Euro 2016 winner has moved from rubbing shoulders with Messi in the UCL this season to struggling to outdo the likes of Neymar, who has two goals.
Did you know?
Leo Messi now has nine group stage goals in the Champions League this season, two shy of Cristiano Ronaldo's record (11).
Assists
This has been the main stronghold for the ex-Man United star compared to his rival Messi. Leo has only two assists in this competition, while Neymar has seven. Cristiano, on the other hand, has four assists this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo has registered more Champions League assists (15) than any other player since the start of the 2012/13 season. pic.twitter.com/E67jt3m3yu
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 23, 2016
Did you know?
Cristiano Ronaldo now has 30 assists in the UCL, more than any other player in the HISTORY of the competition.
— Real Madrid Stats (@RMadrid_Stats) November 22, 2016
Most assists in the Champions League so far this season:
- Neymar (Barcelona) - 6
- Ousmane Dembele (Borussia Dortmund) - 5
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - 4
Matches and minutes played
The Portugal captain has featured in 5/5 Real Madrid matches played while Messi has featured in 4/5. Neymar, also, has played 5/5 games so far in this European tournament.
Shots per game
According to WhoScored, Neymar has the lowest shot per game ratio (1.4) in the Champions League compared to Leo and Ronaldo. The latter has a shot per game ratio of six but still has fewer goals compared to Messi, who has a 4.5 shot per game ratio. Ronaldo’s high ratio and fewer goals is just another statistic that shows how misfiring he has been lately at the European stage with the Madrid giants.
But it is not too late for Ronaldo to rediscover his goal-scoring boots. As a matter of fact, the former Sporting Lisbon man thrives in such low moments as demonstrated a couple of times last season. One particular incident was back in February 2016 when he walked out of a press conference after being questioned by journalists about his poor form away from home despite having scored 32 goals in 30 games at that time in all competitions.
The fan-favorite had played four away games without a goal, but went ahead to silence his critics a day after the press boycott with a sublime finish against Roma to give Los Blancos a 2-0 win at Stadio Olympico in Rome. The Spanish giants then conquered Europe at the club level by winning the Champions League for a record 11th time. Thanks to his determination, a trait that has been conspicuous in his success as a footballer, you cannot rule out the possibility of a Cristiano Ronaldo comeback to become the first player to score 100 goals in the UCL.
Most EC/UCL goals in HISTORY
— Real Madrid Stats (@RMadrid_Stats) November 22, 2016
[95] CRISTIANO
[90] Messi
[71] Raul
[56] RvN
[50] Henry
[49] Di Stefano
[48] BENZEMA, Ibrahimovic, Shevchenko
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
