Ronaldo longest goal drought: Cristiano Ronaldo is not only a prolific goal-scorer of world football but also a consistent and dynamic one.
But even the best of the best has gone through dry spells and Ronaldo is no exception to that detail.
The Portuguese has not been able to hit the ball running in 2022 and is currently going through a spell which was alien to him given his intensity and training.
Ronaldo’s goal drought moments have been few in his career but enough to gain mention and hence, we look at his top 5 longest goal droughts in club football.
2011- 454 minutes
Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo’s top 5 highest jumps to score goal recorded for club and country; see list
Ronaldo had begun life at Los Blancos on a positive note since his move from Manchester United in 2009.
But in 2011, the Portuguese went through not one but two goal drought patches; the first one being 448 minutes across 4 matches.
Once he got back to scoring, Cristiano was back to his best and helped Real Madrid to the summit.
2011- 458 minutes
But that did not deter Ronaldo as he ended the season with 40 goals from 34 appearances in the La Liga and was the catalyst in the start of Real Madrid’s dominance.
Given whatever he achieved for Real Madrid thereafter, sadly it is this goal-drought which gains more mentions than the brilliance showcased.
2020- 464 minutes
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Cristiano’s next dry spell came in 2020 for Juventus which spread across 4 matches for 464 minutes.
Barring the Champions League, Ronaldo won every other honor in Italy but yet has not been given the respect for his time at the Bienconeri.
He finished the 2020 season with 31 goals from 33 appearances as Juventus lifted two domestic titles that year, Serie A and Coppa Italia.
However, the dry spell of 4 matches was a minor blip as per his standards during his time at the Black and Whites.
Cristiano Ronaldo deserved so much better during his time at Juventus. pic.twitter.com/cb2fPflzwc
— The CR7 Timeline. (@TimelineCR7) January 31, 2022
2010- 547 minutes
His first long patch of goal-scoring drought was in 2010 which stretched across 5 matches for 547 minutes. He ended the season with 26 goals from 29 La Liga appearances.
However, this was a first for Ronaldo in his career at Los Blancos where he went though such a lean phase. It wasn’t the best of seasons for Real Madrid as they managed no trophies in that campaign.
If Cristiano Ronaldo fails to score against Burnley on Tuesday, he will equal his worst club goalscoring drought in over a decade, when he failed to score in five consecutive games for Real Madrid during 2010 🤐 pic.twitter.com/BtmafvXxuk
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) February 7, 2022
But Ronaldo’s quick gelling into his new environment was a big positive for the Real Madrid management and team.
2022- 538 minutes
Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo clutch moments in La Liga, EPL and Serie A; An ode to the Birthday Boy
Ronaldo made a surprise return to Manchester United in the 2021-22 season and immediately hit the ball running scoring 2 goals on his second debut.
But since the start of 2022, Ronaldo has yet to find the net and is currently on is longest drought in terms of games, 6.
United has not been at their best this season and with Ronaldo not firing, they are looking even more fragile.
The motivation for Ronaldo is outdoing himself and aims to put in every ounce to do the same as he hopes to kickstart this year well.
With the UCL returning next week, Ronaldo looks to break the dry-spell in his favourite tournament.
6️⃣ games without a goal now for CR7…
⛔️ This is Ronaldo’s worst goal drought since 2009… pic.twitter.com/4pAHegk7vV
— Free Super Tips (@FootySuperTips) February 12, 2022
