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Cristiano Ronaldo impressively ended his six-game goal drought as the Red Devils got an important win against Brighton & Hove Albion. The win helped United go back to the top-four. The Portuguese took the ball 40 yards out, ran objectively at the Brighton defence, took a step to set the ball onto his right foot, and unleashed a relentless shot from outside the box. Ronaldo had endured a goal drought, but everyone knew it was a matter of time before he was back in business. Even the fans knew that class is permanent. So it was no surprise that Ronaldo was back scoring goals.
That goal ended what was Ronaldo’s longest goal drought at club level in more than a decade. Initially, he had gone for 546 minutes without scoring goals for Real Madrid between May and September in 2010. The goal against Brighton stopped the countdown at 587 minutes.
After that, he missed several chances against Leeds United. However, the UEFA Champions League match against Atletico Madrid is an excellent opportunity for Ronaldo to add to his season’s tally. According to statistics, Ronaldo loves playing against Atletico Madrid. Ronaldo has scored 25 goals against Diego Simeone’s men. Only FC Sevilla has conceded more goals from Ronaldo (27).
Many expected him to do his Siuuu celebration, but he decided not to. Instead, he chose to perform a knee slide before Manchester United fans. It was a welcome sight for United fans after a few weeks where Ronaldo cut a dejected figure.
However, his recent body language shows he still has the enthusiasm to inspire United to achieve their goals for the season. In his career, Ronaldo has followed his goal droughts with goal gluts, well followed by enthusiasts on Betway online betting platform. Most importantly for United fans, he usually strikes goals in critical moments, especially in the Champions League.
Ronaldo’s other Dry Spells
This analysis does not include Ronaldo’s first three seasons at Old Trafford. At the time, he was more of a winger and not a regular goalscorer. So, it begins in 2006/07 when he scored 23 goals marking his first prolific season.
In that season, in early April, he did not score in matches against Blackburn Rovers and FC Portsmouth in the EPL and in the first-leg encounter against AS Roma. He also failed to score while on international duty when Portugal drew with Serbia 1-1. However, he returned to scoring ways in a stunning way by scoring two goals as United thrashed Roma 7-1.
Something similar happened a year later when United were chasing the EPL and UEFA Champions League titles. The Portuguese superstar went four games without scoring. However, he did not buckle like lesser players would have done. Instead, he bounced back, scoring important goals. He scored two goals in the 4-1 win against West Ham United and a penalty under pressure in a title-deciding match against Wigan Athletic. Most importantly, he scored a towering header against Chelsea in the Champions League final held in Moscow.
Final Thoughts
Ralf Rangnick will hope Cristiano Ronaldo is in his best form as United returns to UEFA Champions League duty. Truthfully, without Ronaldo, soccer enthusiasts would not have given United any chance of going past the round of 16. However, with the Portuguese leading the line, United have a chance of pulling several surprise results for Betway sports betting fans after a 1-1 first leg draw.
