Cristiano Ronaldo - v1

[Sterlingfan2000]

Nobody can escape ageing. Even athletic bodys like Ronaldo will suffer.

 

[DonAK]

Why are you just focusing on bad performances? His good performances are not as good as before either. His overall involvement in the game is down, not as many sprints as before and he's just not as athletic as before. Just look at any highlight vids of his previous two seasons and compare with this season. Even when he was scoring a lot of goals in the first half of the season, he was not playing as good as before (in 2013).

Limit some of what things? He has already limited the most strenuous activities on the knee, which is sprinting up and down. Getting angry at the referee does not increase chances of injury

Ageing. He'll gradually make the step to become a pure #9 as he ages. Not necessarily anything to do with his knee. For a player very dependent on his physical attributes, he'll have to adjust in order to not get burned out(and miss out the chances to equal or surpass Messi's Balon D'Or's)

As for getting angry at the ref then I clearly talked about him jumping up and down when not really satisfied with the ref's decision. He doesn't have any problem with his sprints, he moves well and his jumps and leaps are as great as ever. When he was struggling with his knee at times last season and the season before that he couldn't do all that. He was clearly struggling.

Now the likes of Alfredo Relaño comes out with his knee problem whenever he has a mini-drought or doesn't play that well against slightly more challenging competition than Granada.

Not saying he can't have a problem with his knee. Of course he can, and he did and clearly struggled. It was obvious to everyone, BUT for quite a long time now, he has been fine. Not any issues at all. Playing 90 minutes every game and not showing any discomfort or problems. It's just that it has become a common occurence for some of his staunch supporters in the Madrid media to point out his knee whenever he fails to live up to expactations and that's why the talk about his knee has become a farce.

 

[Sumlit]

I don't buy the knee issues. That's just Madrid media excuse-making. They never bring up the knee when he's scoring, it's only on failures they talk about it. Cristiano on the field doesn't look like someone who has knee issues.

 

[footyfan]

I don't actually care what the Madrid media says, because I don't read or listen to them. You should be happy it's only brought up when they're losing, imagine how insufferable they would be if they said "he's scoring goals even while injured, what a legend".

The question of whether he actually has an injury or not is not something any of us are privy to, and it's not like he has the type of injury that altogether prevents him from playing. I can't understand how you can tell whether he has any discomfort or pain. Xavi has been playing with tendonitis for close to 5 years without altering his play-style.

 

[DonAK]

I don't actually care what the Madrid media says, because I don't read or listen to them. You should be happy it's only brought up when they're losing, imagine how insufferable they would be if they said "he's scoring goals even while injured, what a legend".

The question of whether he actually has an injury or not is not something any of us are privy to, and it's not like he has the type of injury that altogether prevents him from playing. I can't understand how you can tell whether he has any discomfort or pain. Xavi has been playing with tendonitis for close to 5 years without altering his play-style.

Which is why him becoming a poacher might also be more to do with him ageing and being dependent on physical attributes rather than a possible knee injury you pointed out

 

[footyfan]

Which is why him becoming a poacher might also be more to do with him ageing and being dependent on physical attributes rather than a possible knee injury you pointed out

Yes, it might. Or not. I never denied that. All I've said is his physicality and athleticism on the pitch has reduced from before and the knee pain is a possible explanation. Some of it could also be attributed to Carlo's tactics. I just couldn't understand how you would summarily discount knee issues as an excuse just because the Madrid media parrots them out at the right times. They have no need to bring it up when the team is doing well, so why would they?

 

[DonAK]

Ancelotti also confirmed his knee was fine earlier this season.

http://www.espnfc.com/real-madrid/s...ismisses-fears-over-cristiano-ronaldo-fitness

 

[Sumlit]

I don't actually care what the Madrid media says, because I don't read or listen to them. You should be happy it's only brought up when they're losing, imagine how insufferable they would be if they said "he's scoring goals even while injured, what a legend".

The question of whether he actually has an injury or not is not something any of us are privy to, and it's not like he has the type of injury that altogether prevents him from playing. I can't understand how you can tell whether he has any discomfort or pain. Xavi has been playing with tendonitis for close to 5 years without altering his play-style.

Because I don't see any noticeable physical decline in his play aside that of natural aging, like agility. If he had a degrading knee condition you'd see it reflected in his sprinting speed and specially in his lift-off power when he jumps for headers. Instead what I see is a player who is not agile as he used to be due to being 30 years old and not 25, but a player who is still an equally powerful sprinter and perhaps an even more powerful jumper than he used to be.

I fully believe the knee issue, while perhaps initially based on some knock he might have gotten at some point in time, is at this time fully and wholly a fabrication of the Madrid media.

 

[footyfan]

Because I don't see any noticeable physical decline in his play aside that of natural aging, like agility. If he had a degrading knee condition you'd see it reflected in his sprinting speed and specially in his lift-off power when he jumps for headers. Instead what I see is a player who is not agile as he used to be due to being 30 years old and not 25, but a player who is still an equally powerful sprinter and perhaps an even more powerful jumper than he used to be.

I fully believe the knee issue, while perhaps initially based on some knock he might have gotten at some point in time, is at this time fully and wholly a fabrication of the Madrid media.

Completely disagree with bolded part.

Anyway, DonAK's Ancelotti link clears it up.

 

[Sumlit]

Completely disagree with bolded part.

Anyway, DonAK's Ancelotti link clears it up.

Why, you think Cristiano is slower sprinting and cannot jump as powerfully as he used to? I don't see that. I think his decline is purely in the agility department, due to aging, just like Messi's.

 

[Alen]

Why, you think Cristiano is slower sprinting and cannot jump as powerfully as he used to? I don't see that. I think his decline is purely in the agility department, due to aging, just like Messi's.

He definitely lost a lot of his explosiveness. His ability to get past players was largely due to power and explosiveness, not the the youtube tricks. He doesn't seem to have that anymore. Cristiano was a proper beast, now he's just an exceptional striker.

 

[Sumlit]

He definitely lost a lot of his explosiveness. His ability to get past players was largely due to power and explosiveness, not the the youtube tricks. He doesn't seem to have that anymore. Cristiano was a proper beast, now he's just an exceptional striker.

That's his agility, which is a product of aging. Messi's lost some of that as well. Cristiano's power is still largely there in his speed and push-off power of his jumps. That doesn't suggest debilitating knee issue, just normal aging.

 

[Alen]

That's his agility, which is a product of aging. Messi's lost some of that as well. Cristiano's power is still largely there in his speed and push-off power of his jumps. That doesn't suggest debilitating knee issue, just normal aging.

I guess. But Messi also lost it after the injuries, IIRC. So maybe it's not totally irrelevant.

 

[Sumlit]

I guess. But Messi also lost it after the injuries, IIRC. So maybe it's not totally irrelevant.

Nah, hamstring injuries don't really have long lasting debilitating effects, they only carry re-injury risks if not fully healed or scar tissue isn't properly treated to remove. Only bone, ligament, cartilage and tendons have debilitating effects. Messi lost some agility because he's not 22 years old anymore.

 

[Alen]

Nah, hamstring injuries don't really have long lasting debilitating effects, they only carry re-injury risks if not fully healed or scar tissue isn't properly treated to remove. Only bone, ligament, cartilage and tendons have debilitating effects. Messi lost some agility because he's not 22 years old anymore.

Well he has no excuse then. Sorry Ronaldo, i really tried.