The Evolution of Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo vs Atletico Madrid. Are there archer enemies? The player who recently turned 37-year-old is gearing up to face the team which he has terrorized with both of his last two teams. Anyone knows that it’s very dangerous to bet against Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League but his league performances have been subject to heavy criticism over the last few months.

This could be expected of any 37 year old in the game but the evolution of Cristiano’s game has been one to marvel at. If you compare 17-year-old Cristiano and 27-year-Ronaldo, it would be hard to believe that they were the same player and not because of the extra speed or trick that age shades away. It appears that Cristiano truly sold his soul for goals and assists.

Cristiano who caught Sir Alex’s eye was a silky techy player who could perform magic on the pitch while maintaining his name on the scoreboard. Even watching the highlights of the Sporting game which announced him to the world it’s hard to comprehend a lot of what the young man was doing. And seeing him replicate it in the hardest league in the world solidified his state as the worldwide master of the skill.

Unfortunately for him, Ronaldo existed and performed his trade in the same lifetime as Lionel Messi, his equal or even better at the time. Messi was in the form of his life in the best team in the world playing the best football recognized to date. It would take something special for anyone to truly compete with him. Part of CR7’s brand however is his commitment to being the best and he would find a way no matter what.

So with extra training and a death-defying mentality, Ronaldo made output his priority and made himself a lean, mean goal machine. Although the tech went down the occasional skill was still executed with unbelievable accuracy and made him almost complete. From the age of 27, Ronaldo quadrupled his Ballon d’Or’s, champions leagues, and sextupled his Champions league goals all while still emerging top in league standings.

So was his decision justified? Of course! Although it’s really showing right now with the 37-year-old unable to complete take ons or step-overs, that’s normal with the age and the change in the premier league since he was last year. I assure you Ronaldo wasn’t facing defenders like Trent and Lamptey. The trophies and stats do not lie however with Cristiano being the all-time top scorer in national football and continuing to defy odds in the Champions League.

So tonight as much as Atletico’s defenders shouldn’t be afraid of being nutmegged or left for dead by Ronaldo they should be terrified of his goal output. We know Ronaldo not only has the Manchester United fans at heart but also those of a certain Madrid club so it’s double trouble for Diego Simeone’s men. As much as this game tactically has the
appeal of Burnley vs Wolves I’m personally excited to see Ronaldo against familiar foes once again.