Ronaldo the savior?

By Mike Diamente | 30th October 2009

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Following a shock 3-2 defeat against Milan at home in the Champions League, and an even more shocking defeat to Alcorcon 4-0 in the Copa del Rey, many Real Madrid fans are calling for injured star Cristiano Ronaldo to return to action to “save” the team before it is too late.

The ahem always modest Ronaldo has quickly calmed the Madrid faithful by saying “We are not going through a great moment but neither am I the savior.” Ronaldo’s comments went on to imply that it’s unrealistic for fans to expect one player to turn the team around. While I believe it is fundamentally true that one man does not make a team, I do not believe it is out of line for Madrid fans to put pressure on Ronaldo to “save” them.

Considering that Ronaldo scored five goals for Madrid in five La Liga games, all of them wins, and the fact that the £80 million transfer man’s yearly salary is roughly that of Alcorcon’s entire team, I would be hard pressed to find a Madrid fan who would not claim that Ronaldo is the key component of the Madrid lineup.

I believe that Ronaldo should not return from injury before he is ready just to please the fans, but at the same time I think Ronaldo needs to recognize his importance to both his team and the fans.

In short, when your team is struggling, and your most talented and highest paid player is injured, fans have every right to hope that his return will be the thing the team needs to turn the season around. Ronaldo should not take the idea of being a “savior” as added pressure, but instead look at it as a vote of confidence by the Madrid fans.

A return against struggling rivals Atletico Madrid on November 8th could be the perfect situation for Ronaldo to begin his campaign to save the Madrid season.

Alfred says:

November 1, 2009 at 11:37 pm

Frankly, it’s Pellegrini’s fault. A team with the likes of Casillas, Benzema, Kaka,and Xabi Alonso cannot depend on just one player. These are all great players that should be given the chance to shine by a correct playing system, not what they have right now.

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Mike Diamente says:

October 31, 2009 at 1:13 pm

j6pini I think if Barcelona was not in La Liga, Ronaldo could come back and pull them to the title. Obviously Barcelona is just too good to actually allow this to happen…

I wouldn’t say that Madrid is dependent on Ronaldo as much as he is important. Madrid play differently when he is in the lineup, and defenses always have to adjust for his presence.

Madrid don’t need him to score all the goals, they just need him in the lineup.

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j6pini says:

October 30, 2009 at 6:52 pm

I don’t think Ronaldo can save them (read: he can’t pull them to the La Liga or CL Title). They’re just not a great team. They’re a good, maybe very good, team. I hope they get knocked out of Copa del Rey by this 3rd division team that dominated them 1st leg. Also, if a team is so dependent on one player (which I admit they are to an extent), that’s as much a detriment to the team as it is a compliment to the player.

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Mike Diamente says:

October 30, 2009 at 6:47 pm

Haha I don’t think Ronaldo’s break down has anything to do with a girl, but I would bet that Ronaldo has broken a few girls hearts…

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Azeez kehinde Hussein says:

October 30, 2009 at 1:38 pm

Please is it true that CR,has a problem with a woman claimed that CR broke her daughter’s heart i mean abandon her and the woman is responsible for CR break down?

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