Recently crowned Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo may be soaring in the Champions League, sitting in first place in the top scorers chart with nine goals, but the same can’t be said for La Liga. The Portuguese ace has struggled for goals in the Spanish Primera Division, and Real Madrid has suffered as a result.
Los Blancos sits in fourth, eight points behind leader Barcelona. The 32-year-old has made 11 appearances for Zidane’s side this season but has surprisingly only scored four goals.
This has raised questions as to whether this could be the beginning of the end for the Portuguese goalscoring machine – he has silenced his doubters several times before, but the criticism always comes back. Many still show support for Cristiano despite his poor form in the league, one being a Barcelona player.
That man is none other than Nelson Semedo. The full-back defended Cristiano, who is his captain in the Portuguese national team, arguing that his dip in form is due to the team not performing well.
"He isn't scoring so much in the league but he's still providing assists and in the Champions League he has also scored," the Blaugrana’s summer acquisition told Mais Futebol (as per Marca).
"In my opinion, I don't think it is his fault and it is because the team in general aren't playing so well so obviously he is penalised.
"He may not get so many balls and the team might not create as many chances but he's still a great player who gives everything on the field."
Although Ronaldo is nowhere near his goalscoring form from previous Spanish Primera Division seasons, the 32-year-old has started showing signs of improvement. Against Sevilla, Cristiano scored a brace en route to a 5-0 win over the weekend.
The former Man United winger is currently preparing for the FIFA World Club Cup alongside his Blancos teammates. Real Madrid kicks off their title defense with a semi-final clash with Al Jazira on Wednesday.
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