Few can relate to the physical nature and sporting achievements of Cristiano Ronaldo. However, everyone experiences aging.
Anyone entering their 30s suffers from the grim realities that coincide with middle age. For some, the back begins to come out. Or, one knee becomes the good knee, the other is a bit iffy. A Sunday league game can make you feel like you’ve faced Mike Tyson in a 12-round fight.
Cristiano Ronaldo is 37 years old. He has been playing football at the highest level for 20 years. His total appearances exceed 1,100, scoring over 800 goals for club and country. In that time, he collected 32 major trophies and five Ballon d’Ors.
Quite simply, he has a legitimate claim to be the best player in the history of the game.
sustained success
His longevity has been incredible. Ronaldo’s long-standing obsession with perfection means he dedicates his entire life to gaining whatever physical advantage he can. That’s training, conditioning, nutrition, recovery or anything else. The Portuguese was the most important player in his team at Real Madrid, Juventus and even Manchester United last season. He always wants to add to that scoring record of his, wanting to play every minute of every game.
The greats of the past do not come close to maintaining Ronaldo’s level of performance in the twilight of their careers. Francesco Totti was still playing for AS Roma at 39, but managed just 15 appearances in all competitions in 2015/16. Raúl left Real Madrid to join Schalke at the age of 33. Kaká ended his playing days in MLS and left AC Milan after a disappointing comeback at the age of 31. The trend is evident. Cut back on playing time to stay at a top-tier European club, or step down a level at age 30.
Ronaldo’s game has always relied heavily on his power and athleticism. As recently as 2019, CR7 measured jumps of up to 8 feet. His muscular physique made him a fierce opponent for any defender. Furthermore, his pace at his peak was comparable to that of an Olympic-level sprinter. His dedication and professionalism saw him maximize his early talent. He continues to look as if he has been carved in stone.
The decline of Cristiano Ronaldo
However, this season marks the first time that Ronaldo has found himself on the sidelines on a consistent basis. Given his unmatched pedigree, he clearly thinks this is not justified. Coming stomping out of the tunnel after refusing to come on as a late substitute against Tottenham was the latest sign of his frustration and petulance.
However, not many observers would argue that Cristiano deserves to be an automatic starter in this Manchester United team. The statistics reinforce his incompatibility with a coaching ethos that demands a consistent pressing style. The attacking quartet must move in symmetry, complementing an overall game plan. Ronaldo does not adhere to this style. In fact, he never has. He has always been a player that adapts because he was world class and worthy of being the focal point of any team in the world. The difference in style amplifies the decline of Cristiano Ronaldo.
While he remains an impressive physical specimen, he seems to have finally succumbed to the inevitability of age. He no longer possesses that dizzying spin that was so vital to his game. The all-time top scorer in the Premier League, Alan Shearer, spoke about Ronaldo with The Athletic:
“Time is the only opponent you can never beat. For any elite athlete, this moment is very difficult to accept. It’s horrible, really horrible, wanting to do something and having your brain tell you to do it, while realizing your body can’t do it anymore.”
Reluctance to concede to age
Obviously, Cristiano Ronaldo is not willing to accept that this moment of decline has arrived. The difficulty is that his coach knows it and the fans can see it. The moment has come much later for him than for other professionals, including the best of his generation. This does not make Ronaldo ineffective by any means, but it does mean that he has reached a crossroads in his career that requires careful navigation and adaptation.
Ronaldo has a mindset that is hard to relate to and is probably the key reason why he will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. In 2021, “I know that if I set my mind to something, even if people say I can’t, I will achieve it. I see myself as the best footballer in the world. If you don’t believe you are the best, you will never achieve all that you are capable of doing.” It is not the mentality of a player who will accept a secondary role.
His desire remains intact, but this has led him to play with a desperation that we have not seen before. He is seizing chances, cutting an increasingly exasperated figure, and many times he hasn’t even positioned himself as a centre-forward. Speaking to RSNG last year, he said: “Sometimes in games when we’re losing you want to do everything, you want to go to every part of the field to grab the ball and try to do everything yourself.”
Identity crisis
This rings true for the games he has started in the Europa League against Sherriff Tiraspol of Moldova and Omonia Nicosia of Cyprus. This is a competition he doesn’t want to play in, so it must be incomprehensible to him that he struggled in all four games against these teams. The sight of him looking up at the sky, yelling in exasperation has become familiar. His messiah complex can often lead him to take deeper positions and attempt increasingly unlikely shots on goal to try to rescue the team, along with his ego.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s identity is tied to being the best player in the world, playing for the most successful teams in the world. He previously stated that he believes he can play until he is 41 years old and “I just want to play to the point where he can finish at the top.”
It is difficult to think and act rationally when you have an identity crisis. The current situation is unprecedented for the Portugal captain, and on the eve of the World Cup. His rage at not being selected is logical for him and his unique mindset, so the repetition of these petulant behaviors and anxious performances is almost inevitable. Given the financial package required to acquire Ronaldo, it seems unlikely that he will move to an elite club. His choice may be to move further up the soccer pyramid, move to MLS or try to take on a new role as an impact substitute at Manchester United. Unfortunately, neither option will seem attractive to Cristiano Ronaldo, accentuating the existing decline.
PHOTO: IMAGO/PA Images
