Cristiano Ronaldo: A Thorn In The Flesh Of Any Opposition

By Peter C

A lot has been said about five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo’s inability to score goals and make a lasting impression against some of the big teams in England. Following his first stint with Manchester United, CR7 has gone on to play for top European teams Real Madrid and Juventus.

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His return to United over the summer must have made a number of opposition fans quite uneasy because the greatness of the record goalscorer of the European championships cannot be overemphasized.

Ronaldo has registered goals against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool over his two spells with United but has failed to find the back of the net against Chelsea in the league. The 36-year-old has only scored against the Blues in European competition.

That said, the legend’s pace, movement, trickery, incisiveness, and goalscoring abilities have been totally mesmerizing. Despite his age, Ronaldo always poses the threat that few of his contemporaries can pose, especially doing so at a high level. Ronaldo draws players to himself, pulling opposition players away from his team members and helping to create spaces for his teammates to blossom and score goals. This was evident in United’s 3-0 drubbing of Tottenham this season, where he scored and assisted Uruguayan Edinson Cavani. He has done that in many other matches too.

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In the Champions League, he has been instrumental for the Red Devils with crucial goals in ties against Villarreal and Atalanta, helping the team progress to the Round of 16 where they’ll face Spanish side Atlético Madrid.