Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly wanted out of the club last season after reacting angrily to comments made by Los Blancos president Florentino Perez.
That’s according to SPORT, which reported that El Confidencial claim Perez made comments on Ronaldo’s playing style in January. “Cristiano, you don't beat players like before, you never go past anyone. You have to beat your man.”
Needless to say, according to the SPORT report, the Portuguese forward didn’t take too kindly to that assessment:
Ronaldo, upon hearing the words, felt deceived and decided to go to his agent, Jorge Mendes, to ask from an exit from the club because he could not understand the need for the Madrid president's comments.
Nothing sat well with Ronaldo and it is understood that Sir Alex Ferguson's trip to Madrid in March was with the objective of convincing the 30-year-old to return to Manchester United.
Of course, Ronaldo stayed at Los Blancos in the end and his five goals against Espanyol at the weekend made him the club’s all-time record goalscorer in league matches. However, according to SPORT, “Perez's comments are unlikely to have been forgotten.”
In fairness to Perez, while he may have been better served keeping his opinions quiet, it’s a valid assessment. During his time with Manchester United Ronaldo was a player renowned for dribbling past defenders, dazzling opponents with blistering skill and thrilling the crowd when it came to one-on-one duels.
But as noted here by Squawka Football, when it comes to take-ons, the Portuguese is no longer prolific:
Indeed, according to WhoScored.com, despite being the focal point of the Real Madrid attack, three players—Lucas Vazquez, Gareth Bale and Marcelo—all average more dribbles per game than Ronaldo this season. There’s no denying that this version of the Los Blancos No. 7 is a few shades removed from the player who joined the club in 2009.
As Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez noted, the kind of goals scored by Ronaldo were emblematic of his conversion to a more predatory forward:
This is a natural process for a player who is now 30 years old, though. Indeed, Sky Sports’ Spanish football expert Guillem Balague thinks Ronaldo is fast becoming a pure finisher rather than someone who will take the game by the scruff of the neck, like Barcelona’s Lionel Messi:
I know it's been pointed out on Twitter that I said his best days were over. I also said in the same article that he's going to continue scoring a lot of goals. But what I meant was his influence on the game.
Scoring goals is obviously a crucial part of the game. How you get the chances is another crucial part of the game, and he doesn't get that involved that much in the build-up anymore …
His influence is huge with the goals, but not so much with the build-up. I still think the general influence of Messi is bigger, and is getting even bigger.
As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, the shift to a more central, advanced position in 2015 seems to be working wonders as of late:
While Perez’s comments haven’t reportedly gone down too well, Ronaldo will be acutely aware that as he gets older, he will have to adapt his game. Of course, the Portuguese remains in tremendous shape and is a player who is as dynamic as they come. But having played so much football from such a young age, perhaps a more stationary position is the best way to prolong his influence.
Goals are what Ronaldo lives for and provided he’s in the side scoring them for Real Madrid, he’ll be pleased. The prospect of any transfer away from the club seems unlikely at his juncture and after settling into a devastating groove against Espanyol, he’ll only have eyes for firing Los Blancos to glory this term.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566898-cristiano-ronaldo-reportedly-wanted-to-request-real-madrid-transfer-last-season
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