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Journalism of Courage
Over the last four or five years, there have been multiple debates over who the best forward in world football is. With the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Luis Suarez, Robert Lewandowski and Harry Kane consistently performing at the top, Spanish journalist and Sky Sports football pundit Guillem Balagué last week seems to have found an answer to that question.
“Neither Luis Suarez, nor Lewandowski, Higuain, Mbappe, Benzema or even Kane. Cristiano Ronaldo is the best centre forward in the world,” he said in a tweet following Real Madrid’s 2-1 win over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals, in which Cristiano Ronaldo scored both the goals.
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Now some may argue that the current world’s best player has not been able to emulate the same performances of previous years. But last week when Real Madrid travelled to Munich, there wasn’t a speck of doubt over who was ‘central’ in the 2-1 win. Scoring two goals and notching up 100 clubs goals in European competitions for himself, Ronaldo showed the world his ability to stand out and turn the game around at the highest level.
Ronaldo for most parts of his career has been an out and out winger, either playing on the left or right of the main striker. But at times in the past, and especially with Real Madrid, he has shown his ability to shift towards a more central role as the main forward. The game against Bayern was one of the few examples of how Ronaldo takes over the role of a traditional ‘number 9’. His positioning was key to Real Madrid’s win, rattling the Bayern centre-back pairing of Jerome Boateng and Javi Martinez throughout the game. He could have even got a hattrick against the German giants, but for Manuel Neuer who made multiple brilliant saves on the night.
However, the numbers this season tell a tale of a rather average campaign for the Portuguese international. Though still impressive, his 19 goals in 24 league games don’t exactly reflect the record breaking numbers by which he has set standards – rather exceeded – in world football. Even comparing with others in Europe like Lewandowski, Messi, Suarez, Cavani and Aubameyang, his tally doesn’t match up. But if he isn’t scoring goals, dribbling past full backs and bewildering opposition defences, then how important is he to Real Madrid?
Many experts believe that much like Lionel Messi and Wayne Rooney, he is in the process of reinventing his role in the team, facilitating those around him to flourish. Like we saw in Portugal’s performances in Euro 2016, a 31-year-old Ronaldo stepped up as the leader of the unit. Even after he was brought off following an injury in the final against France, many believe that his influence on the team was very much evident.
Now with Real Madrid hosting Bayern Munich on Tuesday, manager Zinedine Zidane would expect Ronaldo to show the same leadership that drove Portugal to continental success. Though unlike the Euro 2016 finals, injury doesn’t keep him out of the game. He would be very much leading Real Madrid’s frontline once again with a 2-1 advantage at the Santiago Bernabeu.
But for Zidane’s side this time around defence would be the priority. With an in-form Robert Lewandowski returning from injury, it is a challenge for a depleted Real Madrid defence that will sorely miss Raphael Varane and Pepe, the latter of which is probably out for the season. But Zidane still has a strong and consistent defensive spine comprising of Keylor Navas, Sergio Ramos, Nacho Fernandez and Casemiro who he can rely on to hold on to the massive advantage. But if Real Madrid remember much from recent history, they could probably still go all out against Bayern Munich, who they beat 5-0 on aggregate in the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League semi-finals. And with Ronaldo showing glimpses of his stature, Real Madrid can dream of getting one step closer to defending their Champions League title.
