Earlier this year, in an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Gareth Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnet created quite a controversy by claiming that his client did not want to be the best underwear seller or top model in the world. This jibe was allegedly aimed at Cristiano Ronaldo who seemed to be preferred over the former Tottenham Hotspur man in Madrid’s squad.
But despite the controversy generated from his sentiments and the anger that struck Ronaldo’s fans after hearing what Bale’s agent had to say about the former Manchester United man, there was some element of truth in every word he spoke.
Ronaldo’s recent performances for the Santiago Bernabeu side have proved that he seems to care less of his image on the pitch than off the pitch. Many of his fans are now torn between accepting him as a footballer, model or businessman since it seems he has miserably failed to balance both careers at the same time.
The 2014/2015 UEFA Best Player in Europe Award
Ronaldo’s recent slump both in form and popularity was evident during the 2014/2015 UEFA Best Player in Europe Awards when he only managed to gather 2 votes from the 54 votes cast. His long-term nemesis, Lionel Messi, had managed to gather an astonishing total of 49 votes.
Messi receives the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award from UEFA president Michael Platini. In the middle is a visibly disinterested Ronaldo.
As if to add salt to injury, the relatively newcomer Luis Suarez had 3 votes, compared to Ronaldo’s 2. The latter had won the award during the 2013/2014 season but one year proved to be just enough to wipe him off the picture and reinstate Messi as the first ever two-time winner of the coveted award.
Lionel Messi’s absence
When Leo picked up an injury during Barcelona’s La Liga match against Las Palmas, one thing was certain; the Argentine would be out for eight weeks. However, despite Leo’s two-month absence from competitive football, Ronaldo only managed to score five goals for Los Blancos in all competitions during that period.
The Barcenalona forward in pain after sustaining a knee injury against Las Palmas on September 26, 2015
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A player of Ronaldo’s calibre wouldn’t be proud of netting just five goals in two months. That would translate to an average of 2.5 goals each month, which is quite disappointing for a player who used to score hattricks as a hobby.
The threat of Neymar and Suarez
Just when the Real Madrid man thought he was safe for a while as Messi spent most of his time on his sickbed than the pitch due to injury, a new threat resurfaced in the name of Neymar and Suarez. It seems the Portugal international had underestimated the two and spent so much time focusing on outclassing Messi.
Suarez celebrates one of his goals for Barcelona. On his right is a jovial Neymar.
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For so long, the striking duo from Barcelona was hiding under Leo’s shadow, not until the Argentine suffered an injury that would propel the two to further stardom. As Cristiano struggled to find the back of the net for his club, Neymar and Suarez, on the other hand, steered the Catalans to eight wins, one draw and one loss in the last 10 games without Messi. During that period, their popular striking partnership created 16 goals for Barca in La Liga, hence leading them to the top of the table. In total, the pair scored 20 goals between them in all competitions, which loosely translated to 10 each.
The moment of truth
Fast forward during last Saturday’s El Clasico, Ronaldo was a pale shadow of himself in front of his own supporters. For a natural player who is well-known for penetrating even the meanest defenders on the planet, he could hardly move past Barca’s defence or trouble goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. The 30-year-old would either shoot the ball wide or directly into the arms of Barcelona’s hawk-eyed goalkeeper. Interestingly, Suarez scored a brace, Neymar netted once and Iniesta drove the last nail into Real Madrid’s coffin to bury them six points below Luis Enrique’s men.
CR7 reacts after missing a clear one-on-one chance against their fierce rivals in El Clasico
If the embattled Portuguese star does not rediscover his usual prolific form for his club, he may not make it to the list of the top-three contestants in the next Ballon d’Or. Neymar and Suarez seem to have taken advantage of Ronaldo’s poor form and distraction brought by his movies and businesses to shine brighter. The two are now on the verge of cementing their place as the new kings of world football
Watch Ronaldo's unusual one-on-one miss against Barcelona in Saturday's El Clasico
As if to accept defeat and acknowledge the unpredictable nature of his career, the three-time Ballon d’Or winner recently revealed that he was contented with winning the award thrice. During an interview on the Jonathan Ross Show, Ronaldo said this about his prospects of winning the next Ballon d'Or:
“To be honest I think Messi is going to win this year because this kind of trophy, it depends on votes. You win competitions, you win Champions League you win the league in terms of individual. I did probably the best season of my career which is good and I was the highest scorer in Europe [but] it’s all about votes, it’s difficult and to be honest I’m not very worried about that because as I said many times, I never [thought I’d] win three times to be honest.”
Football fans from across the world should now look forward to the reign of the striking trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar, popularly known as ''MSN’’ since the curtains seems to have fallen on the glittering career of the once-lethal Portuguese star.
