Portugal (National Football)

A Cristiano Ronaldo brace pushed Portugal to a 3-0 win over Latvia on Friday at the Skonto Stadium in Riga, keeping the pressure up on Switzerland in FIFA World Cup qualifying Group B.

At the end of a tight first half, Ronaldo was on hand to head home a scrappy opener for the visitors. In the second period he was in the right place at the right time once again, nodding home Ricardo Quaresma’s deflected cross. Andre Silva made the match safe soon after.

The win means Portugal remain three points behind group leaders Switzerland, who overcame the Faroe Islands on Friday.

With Ronaldo back in the squad after his UEFA Champions League heroics with Real Madrid, the European champions wouldn’t have expected too much trouble here. 

The early stages of the game were fractured, though, as Portugal failed to settle into any sort of rhythm. It was no surprise to see that when they went ahead four minutes before the interval, it wasn’t the most eye-catching of goals.

Andre Gomes hammered an effort against the bar, and unsurprisingly Ronaldo was in the right place to head home the rebound from almost on the line, as we can see courtesy of Sky Football:

GOAL! Latvia 0-1 Portugal (Ronaldo) Watch on Sky Sports 5 HD. Live blog: https://t.co/nbEVMeASpe pic.twitter.com/VtgAqjxhQg

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 9, 2017

The goal was a bodyblow for the hosts, who had been defending gamely up until this point. Chins were buried into chests as they trudged off at half-time.

In the second period, Portugal really did step things up, and the introduction of Quaresma added further spark to their attacking play. The winger was involved in a slick move as the Selecao doubled their advantage on 63 minutes.

Quaresma’s cross ricocheted off a defender, over the goalkeeper and perfectly into the path of Ronaldo, who couldn't miss. As noted by sports journalist Tom Kundert, the Madrid man has been thriving in the colours of his national team lately:

Ronaldo has scored 11 goals in 5 WC qualifying games for Portugal.

— Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) June 9, 2017

Ronaldo’s goals on the night were his 72nd and 73rd for Portugal. As noted by Squawka Football, they’re strikes that edged him closer to a history-making mark:

Most international goals by a European player:

🇭🇺 Ferenc Puskás (84)
🇭🇺 Sándor Kocsis (75)
🇵🇹 Cristiano Ronaldo (73)
🇩🇪 Miroslav Klose (71) pic.twitter.com/SC3g4dLDbh

— Squawka (@Squawka) June 9, 2017

After conceding again, Latvia were on the ropes, and with Ronaldo finding more and more space in the final third, the match did begin to run away from the ragged minnows.

The Portugal captain was involved in the third goal too. The away side nicked possession high up the pitch and fed Ronaldo in space on the edge of the penalty area. Instead of going for goal himself, the 32-year-old rolled the ball across goal into the path of Silva, who made no mistake.

As noted by Scouted Football, in Silva, Portugal may have a solution to what has been a long-term problem position:

Andre Silva (21) has now scored 7 goals in his last 7 games for the Portugal senior side. 🇵🇹

Have they finally found their number nine? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/SF2wOFnW1w

— SCOUTED (@scoutedftbl) June 9, 2017

Despite showcasing generosity in this instance, it was clear Ronaldo wanted to grab his hat-trick on the night. He spurned a great opportunity when played in by Nelson Semedo.

However, at the end of a long season, it was no shock to see the Selecao take the sting out of the game by keeping possession late on and preserving their advantage.

It’s five qualifying wins in a row for Fernando Santos’ side now, a run they may well have to continue if they’re going to secure automatic qualification for next summer’s showpiece.

Zambia upset Portugal at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on Sunday as they kicked off their tournament with a thrilling 2-1 win in Jeju, South Korea.

Iran edged out Costa Rica 1-0 in Group C's other match, while in Group D, Uruguay ran out 1-0 winners against Italy, and Japan came from behind to beat South Africa 2-1.

Here are the results from Sunday's action, and read on for a recap of how it played out:

Group	Results
C	Zambia 2-1 Portugal
C	Iran 1-0 Costa Rica
D	South Africa 1-2 Japan
D	Italy 0-1 Uruguay

For the updated standings, visit the FIFA website.

Sunday Recap

Portugal took the initiative in the first half as they set out to control possession, while African champions Zambia sat back with the aim of hitting their opponents on the counter.

Zambia goalkeeper Mangani Banda was called into action to deny Xadas, and Diogo Goncalves forced a block from Moses Nyondo. At the other end, Conlyde Luchanga tested Diogo Costa with a powerful effort.

Former Zambia international Kalusha Bwalya gave his take at the break:

Important to get atleast a point today. So need same performance as 1st Half. Everyone working when #Zambia doesn't have the ball #FIFAU20

— Kalusha Bwalya (@KalushaPBwalya) May 21, 2017

The match truly sparked into life early in the second half when Edward Chilufya tapped in from Enock Mwepu's rebound.

Portugal responded strongly to the setback but were guilty of wasting several good chances, with the likes of Goncalves, Gedson and Xadas all failing to hit the target from close range.

Fashion Sakala did the same for Zambia but soon made amends when he evaded two defenders before doubling his side's lead. Helder slotted in Xande Silva's rebound in injury time, but it was too late for Portugal to spark a comeback.

Bwalya was delighted with the result:

FullTime #Zambia 2-1 #Portugal , perfect start boys. Deserved win with 2 beautifully taken goals #FIFAu20WorldCup

— Kalusha Bwalya (@KalushaPBwalya) May 21, 2017

Mohammad Mehdikhani's late goal for Iran would prove the difference in a tight game with Costa Rica that lacked quality, with the striker's well-taken effort at the far post handing his side the win with nine minutes of normal time remaining.

Italy and Uruguay were also separated by a single goal, with Rodrigo Amaral's outstanding free-kick for the latter settling the match.

South Africa enjoyed a strong start as they took the lead just seven minutes in thanks to Grant Margeman's deflected effort, and they should have been 2-0 up when Keletso Makgalwa connected with the ball six yards out, but he could only direct his header wide.

Koki Ogawa was guilty of missing two good chances before the break, per Soccer Laduma:

18' SA 1-0 JPN: WOODWORK!! Japan nearly level matters but Ogawa hits the upright from close range. #SLLive

— Soccer Laduma (@Soccer_Laduma) May 21, 2017

29' SA 1-0 JPN: CHANCE! Japan carve out another big chance, but Ogawa heads wide with only Mpoto to beat. #SLLive

— Soccer Laduma (@Soccer_Laduma) May 21, 2017

Ogawa was able to find an equaliser two minutes after the restart, though, capitalising on some sloppy defending from Tercios Malepe to tuck home.

Japan soon brought on 15-year-old Takefusa Kubo, and the youngster made an instant impact as he slipped through Ogawa, but Mondli Mpoto was equal to his effort. Kubo was again instrumental as Japan took the lead, linking up with Ritsu Doan before the latter fired in.

Cristiano Ronaldo's infamous bust at Madeira Airport has had the internet in stitches since its unveiling at the end of March, and it has now been targeted by Kate McKinnon on American sketch show Saturday Night Live.

Here is the skit, which features McKinnon impersonating Cecilia Gimenez, a Spanish woman whose botched attempt to restore a fresco of Jesus Christ became a viral sensation:

In the sketch, McKinnon—who is famous for impressions of celebrities on SNL, including former Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and pop star Justin Bieber—likens the bust to Ronaldo having his face put "through a Snapchat filter where all the features are twisted and sucked into the nose."

The bust was created by Madeiran artist Emanuel Santos, who said Ronaldo "liked what he saw" of the statue, per Globo.com (h/t Sky Sports' Elgan Alderman).    

Emanuel Santos, the sculptor of the much-maligned bust of Cristiano Ronaldo at Madeira Airport, has defended his work, as he believes the Real Madrid star is a fan of the statue.

Per MailOnline's Gerard Couzens and the Daily Mail's Oliver Todd, Santos said: 

He [Ronaldo] only asked for some wrinkles to be changed, that give him a certain expression in his face when he's about to laugh.

He said it made him look older and asked for it to be thinned out a bit to make it smoother and more jovial. But they gave it the go-ahead before they liked what they saw.

...

I asked him what he thought of the result and he said he liked it.

The statue was unveiled on Wednesday to commemorate the airport being renamed in Ronaldo's honour, and it was widely mocked on social media:

CR7 memories. pic.twitter.com/t89uBEptKj

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 30, 2017

The Ronaldo bust sculptor has said, "its impossible to please everyone". He's pleased more people in a way he could never have imagined.

— Football Ramble (@FootballRamble) March 30, 2017

Santos said he had to base his work off photographs of the forward as Ronaldo was unable to model for him in person, and the sculptor added that "the end result is never going to please everyone."

Cristiano Ronaldo led Portugal to a 3-0 win over Hungary during Saturday's 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying match at Estadio da Luz, scoring a brace.

Hungary gave Portugal all they could handle in the first half, but a quick double from Andre Silva and Ronaldo gave the European champions a comfortable lead.

The Real Madrid star converted a free-kick after the break, and Portugal cruised to the finish line from that point.

Portugal made three changes compared to the team that beat Latvia in November, with Cedric Soares, Pepe and Ricardo Quaresma inserted in the starting XI, per the team's official Twitter account:

Os nossos 11! #PORxHUN pic.twitter.com/N0w5uLBNey

— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) March 25, 2017

The hosts started with Ronaldo out wide and Silva in a more central role, but Hungary countered with a physical approach in midfield that meant the two had to come and claim the ball.

The first chance fell to the Real Madrid man, who powered a shot wide of the mark. Soares tested goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi with a header shortly after.

Jose Fonte got away with a clear elbow that could have resulted in a red card after 11 minutes, and to the horror of the Hungarian players, the official awarded Portugal a free-kick from a promising position shortly after. Ronaldo again failed to find the target.

The first real chance of the match came after 20 minutes, as Quaresma's deflected effort landed perfectly for Ronaldo, who headed the ball inches wide of the goal.

AS English started to get impatient:

Waiting for all these goals in Portugal versus Hungary...https://t.co/5A37JztIwh pic.twitter.com/3ZP3KTobN2

— AS USA (@English_AS) March 25, 2017

Adam Szalai also missed a great chance, slicing a volley over the bar after a mistake from Fonte.

A goal seemed inevitable, and it was Silva who finished off a superb passing move from the hosts to give his team the lead, per sports writer Tom Kundert:

Ronaldo plays in Guerreiro, delicious low cross for André Silva to knock in from close in. Portugal 1-0 Hungary, 32'

— Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) March 25, 2017

Hungary had given the European champions a very good contest until that point, but the opening goal took all of the wind out of their sails, and four minutes later, the score was 2-0.

It was star forward Ronaldo himself who converted, impressing Kundert with a clean strike:

GOAL!!! Ronaldo!!! Portugal!!! Pick that one out!! A beautiful low strike smashed into the near post after wonderful touch by André Silva!

— Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) March 25, 2017

Things could have gotten even worse for Hungary, as Ronaldo put Gulacsi to work with an acrobatic effort from the edge of the box. Silva also went close, with Barnabas Bese making a great clearance before the half-time whistle blew.

Hungary started the second half in better fashion, as substitute Gergo Lovrencsics made an immediate impact.

Portugal kept attacking, however, and a deflected effort from Ronaldo nearly crept under the crossbar. Pepe comically missed the ball completely from the resulting corner.

The visitors' pressure didn't last very long, and before long, Portugal settled into a comfortable routine. The team earned a free-kick after 64 minutes, and Ronaldo did what he does best, firing a great shot that clipped the post.

As shared by sports writer Liam Canning, his scoring record for Portugal is incredible:

Ronaldo has scored 70 goals for Portugal. Lifted their first ever major trophy. Fourth all-time scorer for national team in Europe. Unreal.

— Liam Canning (@LiamPaulCanning) March 25, 2017

Balazs Dzsudzsak tried to hit back, forcing Rui Patricio into a save with Hungary's first attempt on target. Andre Gomes also let loose, firing over.

The pace of the match dropped entering the final 20 minutes, as both teams seemed to accept the result. The Hungarians ran into several bookings as they desperately tried to limit the damage, while Portugal cruised to the finish line.

Bernardo Silva lifted a header over the bar in what was the final chance of the match. The win leaves Portugal three points behind Switzerland for the group lead.

Nani took to Twitter to congratulate his compatriots after the match:

Grande jogo malta!
Gran partido chicos!
Great match guys!#PORHUN #3-0 #worldcup2018qualifiers https://t.co/DShSUVeFFT

— Nani (@luisnani) March 25, 2017

Portugal's next outing will be the friendly against Sweden on Tuesday, while Hungary host Russia on June 5.

A thrilling 3-3 draw with Hungary at UEFA Euro 2016 last summer put Portugal into the knockout rounds and on their way to a first-ever triumph at a major tournament.

On that day back in June, Cristiano Ronaldo netted twice, and Portugal will hope their talisman is on form once again when they face Hungary in Saturday's qualifying clash for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

A victory for Fernando Santos' side in Lisbon would see them, at worst, remain second in UEFA Group B, but a defeat would see Hungary leapfrog Portugal in the standings.

Read on for a preview of a crucial clash for both sides on the road to Russia 2018, along with scheduling and viewing information. 

Date: Saturday, March 25

Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT, 3:45 p.m. ET

TV Info: ITV4 (UK)

Live Stream: ITV Hub

Preview

Hungary will be motivated to claim at least a point against Portugal as, if they lose, their chances of gaining even a play-off spot will be hit hard.

The gap between Bernd Storck's side and Portugal is at only two points, and Hungary cannot afford for it to extend to five as they look to stay in the hunt for qualification.

Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	GD	Points
Switzerland	4	4	0	0	9	3	6	12
Portugal	4	3	0	1	16	3	13	9
Hungary	4	2	1	1	8	3	5	7
Faroe Islands	4	1	1	2	2	8	-6	4
Latvia	4	1	0	3	2	8	-6	3
Andorra	4	0	0	4	1	13	-12	0

Equally, Portugal will be desperate to avoid dropping further back from Switzerland in the automatic qualification top spot in the group.

The Swiss outfit are unlikely to drop points when they face Latvia at home on Saturday, so Portugal must aim to pick up a win against Hungary. 

While the two teams played out a draw at Euro 2016, Portugal have the edge over their opponents on Saturday in terms of personnel.

Ronaldo will, of course, be key to Portugal claiming all three points, but the likes of goalkeeper Rui Patricio, midfielders Renato Sanches, Andre Gomes and William Carvalho and experienced winger Nani will all need to be on good form.

Especially given they are at home, a firing Portugal side should be able to claim a victory against Hungary and keep pace with, if not catch, the Swiss in the group standings.

Since losing 2-0 to Switzerland in their opening qualifier for the 2018 World Cup, Portugal have won three on the bounce, beating Andorra, Latvia and the Faroe Islands by a combined score of 16-1. 

Hungary will pose a bigger threat than those three sides and will have the experience of having gained a point against the Portuguese last summer.

But Santos' men, with all their attacking quality, should have enough to claim a crucial victory. 

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as Portugal’s Player of the Year for 2016, while Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches picked up the Best Young Player gong. 

Both men were central to Portugal’s unlikely triumph at the 2016 UEFA European Championship last summer, with the Selecao beating holders France 1-0 in the final in extra time thanks to a brilliant goal from Eder.

It was Ronaldo who helped inspire the team to the final with some exceptional displays in France, though, and the national team skipper was honoured with the individual accolade as a result.

"It was a very special year for me because the Euros was the only trophy I was still missing," Ronaldo said after receiving the prize on Monday, per ESPN FC. "I want to thank the Portuguese people again, they gave us confidence on our way to the title."

The European Qualifiers Twitter feed broke down the winners on the night:

Portugal's annual awards ...
Best player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best newcomer: Renato Sanches
Best coach: Fernando Santos#QuinasDeOuro #EURO 💪 pic.twitter.com/Esli9p3plm

— European Qualifiers (@EuroQualifiers) March 20, 2017

As noted in the report, the forward’s Real Madrid team-mate Pepe was also nominated for the individual prize, as was Sporting CP goalkeeper Rui Patricio.

Ronaldo scored three goals at the finals, including the crucial opener in the semi-final showdown with Wales. Additionally, he led the line tremendously for Fernando Santos’ side and was an eminent presence on the sidelines supporting his team-mates, having hobbled out of the final with an injury.

The prize was part of a memorable haul for Ronaldo in 2016. Indeed, he also sampled UEFA Champions League glory with Real Madrid, netting the winning penalty in the shootout against Atletico Madrid in the final. Individually, he also picked up the Ballon d’Or and the FIFA Best Player awards.

Have yourself a 2016, Cristiano Ronaldo. 💯 #TheBest https://t.co/1k9IuzQU5q

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 9, 2017

It was also a memorable 12 months for Sanches, who started the year at Benfica, earned a move to Bayern Munich and cemented his place in Santos’ Portugal side.

Indeed, the youngster’s energetic efforts in midfield epitomised the qualities of the team. Sanches was tenacious, aggressive and disciplined in his approach to matches, providing a platform from which the likes of Ronaldo were able to go and influence the game.

After his excellent displays, Sanches was named as UEFA’s Young Player of the Tournament. Per Squawka Football, that wasn’t all he achieved in 2016 either:

Renato Sanches' 2016:

Youngest player to win European Championships
Euro 2016 Young Player of the Tournament
Joins Bayern
Wins Golden Boy https://t.co/DlXJZSBF9O

— Squawka (@Squawka) October 24, 2016

Sanches has not developed as much as many would have expected at Bayern, though. The 19-year-old has only started four games in the Bundesliga this season, with manager Carlo Ancelotti recently prompted into answering questions about the player’s future. "Renato will still be at Bayern next season, that is 100 per cent certain," the Italian told Sport Bild (h/t Stefan Coerts of Goal).

After success at the Euros, Portugal continue their quest to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup this week when they face Hungary on Saturday in a repeat of their thrilling 3-3 draw from the Euros last summer.

Never seen Cristiano Ronaldo sketched in 60 seconds? Now you have! 

Japan-based artist Sanil Chitrakar, who has previously drawn the likes of Neymar, Ronaldinho and David Beckham, recently added CR7 to his illustrious collection, and he was only too happy to share his work of art with Bleacher Report.

Good job, Sanil!

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 2016 Ballon d'Or. 

To celebrate, we looked back at what some of the legends of the game have said about the Real Madrid and Portugal star. 

Cristiano Ronaldo: a man whose powers are on the wane, who has struggled for form this season and who, despite signing a new long-term contract with Real Madrid recently, is increasingly looking like age is catching up with him.

Or so the popular narrative of the early part of this season would have people believe, especially when Los Blancos went on a four-game winless streak with Ronaldo scoring only once in that period.

But the truth is somewhat different: a misfiring forward in a team that has struggled for consistency within its playing style this season, yes, but only by his own absurdly high standards. This misfiring Ronaldo still has more goals in La Liga this season than all but five players, three of them being Luis Suarez, Leo Messi and Antoine Griezmann. He still has seven goals in 12 games in all competitions, and seven in three for his national side Portugal.

Ronaldo has also suggested, per Marca, that his newest deal—which runs to 2021—will not be his last, and that he'll still be producing the goods five years down the line. He's confident as ever, so where is the reduced output coming from? Is it his own dipped form, or a team aspect? Is it wayward finishing, or the quality of shooting positions he's attempting to score from? And how can he rectify it?

          

Number crunching

Basics first.

Ronaldo scored 51 in all competitions last season, at an average rate of one every 84.2 minutes. So far this term, his return of seven strikes yields one every 148.3 minutes, so his production has slowed by around 75 per cent—but a simple run of a goal per game for the next three or four games, more than manageable for the No. 7, would drastically reduce that minutes-per-goal strike rate.

Perhaps the biggest indicator lies in the type of goal Ronaldo would usually score.

The chart above shows that by far the biggest bulk of Ronaldo's goals last term came from first-time finishes or chances which he could control and shoot from, mostly from close range, borne not just of his finishing prowess and composure, but his timing, runs into the box and accurate, low delivery from his team-mates.

Almost half his goals were either tap-ins from inside the six-yard box—often after a low delivery beyond the 'keeper and defence—or where he would pull away from his marker just in time to find space and provide an option for a team-mate to deliver from on or near the byline. Critics would have you believe that this type of goal, a close-range strike or merely a finishing touch from two metres out, are what bulk up Ronaldo's stats and thus show he's not always such a world-class machine.

They are both right and wrong.

Those types of goals do (or did, last term) account for a hefty portion of Ronaldo's goal count, but:

• focusing merely on the finish ignores the movement, intensity, anticipation and speed or power that preceded the goal itself, which are all huge aspects of Ronaldo's game that defenders fail to cope with
• even discounting the six-yard box goals (and there's no viable reason you would do so) he still netted 40 times across 2015/16, more than most strikers on the planet.

So far in 16/17, Ronaldo is largely running to form in the type of goal scored: two netted after a cross/pass/cutback from inside the penalty box, and one of five other kinds—penalty, free-kick, close-range tap-in, surging dribble and finish, run from left-to-centre and shot. Only a header is strangely missing for this term to complete his usual set, and then kick on.

      

Best and worst

If Ronaldo's huge goal tally stems from inside the penalty area, it stands to reason there are two key areas to explore: His own finishing, and the delivery which precedes scoring chances.

The following data contrasts Ronaldo's shooting, from La Liga only, between last term and this. All data in this section is via WhoScored.com.

Season	Total	6-yard box	Penalty box	Outside box	On target
2015/16	6.4	0.4	3.7	2.4	43%
2016/17*	6.6	0.8	3.1	2.8	28%

The Portuguese forward is perhaps shooting from range more than usual, but there is no drastic change in the location of his attempts on a game-to-game basis. The notable drop-off is, of course, with his accuracy—how often he is hitting the target with his shots. That decrease in real terms means that if Ronaldo had the same number of shots this year as he did last year (which he is on course to do), instead of 98 shots hitting the target, only 63 would.

Naturally, it's going to lead to a decrease in goal tally as a result. Ronaldo's shot map gives another view of the same picture.

Above, his shot map against Espanyol last season saw him score five times from seven shots in a 6-0 victory, with his shot location pretty much what you'd expect to see from a left-sided forward: efforts across the face of goal, from left-of-centre or the middle of the box.

Contrast that with two games from this season, against Athletic Club and Eibar, when Ronaldo took 11 and eight shots respectively during the match, failing to score in either.

There's more insistence on shooting from outside the area, most probably because he isn't scoring as many goals and is thus eager to try his luck from any angle or range, while—against Athletic in particular—even closer-range shots miss the target or have a skewed angle to them, indicating (as backed up by watching him in games this season) his rushed approach.

Ronaldo is less dead-eye-focused at the moment of the shot this term, no question, but it's not the only issue at question.

            

Team dysfunction

Consider both the names and the numbers below.

Those eight players all figured in the top 40 of La Liga last season for key passes per 90 minutes on the pitch, per WhoScored.com.

From the group, James Rodriguez now barely features in league play. Jese is gone. Isco has only just come back into the side. Luka Modric has been injured, Lucas is only a super-sub and Karim Benzema has been largely unfit and atrocious. If all those players were the main sources of chances, and Ronaldo the main beneficiary, of course there will be a change to witness, either in type of approach to chance-creation or in the quality of delivery.

Benzema alone is proof enough that even the same player may not offer the same output, quality or quantity, from one campaign to another—he's down to just seven chances created so far this term. The rest of the side who are creating, can only do so when on the pitch:

Lucas has played only 252 minutes in La Liga, James only 208. Toni Kroos is now out until the new year, and Marcos Asensio has lost his place after a fine start. Upheaval, inconsistency and rotation in those who are laying on the chances for Ronaldo, are just as much a factor as his own lack of accuracy.

          

Portugoals

Getting back in form is no easy task for most players, but Ronaldo has long shown the mental fortitude, physical capacity and relentless approach to overcome a goal drought or a spell of below-par form.

There's no doubt he will continue to find the net, and a brace for Portugal in the international break will only help him on his way.

Madrid need him firing quickly, with a tremendously important run of games coming up, but there's no greater test than Atletico Madrid's defence for a player who has to not just be incisive and clever with his movement, but also possessed of a cold-minded clinical edge when a chance or two does fall his way.

Ronaldo hasn't been at his best this season, it's undeniable. But he's only below his best in the end product, not in the approach or his on-the-ball impact, and that is of immense importance to Madrid.

If and when Zinedine Zidane finds the right balance of his midfield, and if they, in turn, begin to function more cohesively and thus provide the front line with a more regular, predictable, familiar pattern of chances, Ronaldo will once again be on the scoresheet on a weekly basis.

When the team clicks, the sign is easy to note: the No. 7 will be scoring close-range goals from inside the six-yard box every couple of games, putting the final touch on a move that gets behind the opposition defence—and don't make the mistake of thinking that makes him any less of a machine.

          

Follow @karlmatchett