After a few weeks of barely-disguised frustration and rumours of a 'completely fractured' relationship with interim manager Ralf Rangnick, the main man was back in business. Sportsmail takes a closer look at Ronaldo's previous barren spells and what happened next. He didn't score against Atletico, Celta Vigo and Almeria in consecutive games towards the end of the season, then smashed a hat-trick past Sevilla. It was his first prolific campaign. 'Their heads have gone physically and mentally, they're shot to pieces': Roy Keane slams United's lacklustre first-half display against dominant Chelsea at Old Trafford as Jamie Redknapp accuses the Red Devils of having 'no idea', Ralf Rangnick is set to be confirmed as Austria's new manager in the next 48 hours but he WILL continue in his consultancy role at United despite underwhelming spell as interim boss, Cristiano Ronaldo saves Man United again as his first EVER Premier League goal against Chelsea cancels out Marcos Alonso's opener but Ralf Rangnick's men slip further from a top-four finish with just three matches left to play, 'They can go for meals, be positive and say they will regroup but you don't show it on the pitch': Roy Keane reveals he would be 'very surprised' if Erik ten Hag gets more out of United's squad than Ralf Rangnick as he criticises club 'culture', Roy Keane and Jamie Redknapp insist Cristiano Ronaldo DOES have a future under new manager Erik ten Hag at Manchester United and claim the 37-year-old would have scored FIFTY goals this season if he played for Chelsea, West Ham are left with a mountain to climb as Eintracht Frankfurt claim huge Europa League semi-final first-leg win despite Michael Antonio cancelling out visitors' 49-second opener to send the home fans wild, Leicester secure a well-deserved draw against Jose Mourinho's Roma as Gianluca Mancini own goal cancels out Lorenzo Pellegrini's opener in Conference League semi-final leaving it all to play for in Rome, Thomas Tuchel criticises Timo Werner and Kai Havertz stating the pair were 'not at their peak performance' in Chelsea's draw at Manchester United and believes the Blues would have won with better displays from the duo, 'It's still there it's not gone': David Moyes urges West Ham fans to keep dreaming of the Europa League final after narrow defeat by Eintracht Frankfurt - but admits the Hammers 'have a lot to do' to get past the Bundesliga side, Former Juventus chief Luciano Moggi BLASTS Carlo Ancelotti for claiming the Calciopoli scandal was a 'positive' moment for the Italian game branding his ex-manager a 'TRAITOR' and claiming he was involved in 'dirty football', Kenny Pickett becomes only quarterback picked during first round of NFL draft as he's taken by Pittsburgh Steelers to replace retired Ben Roethlisberger: Jacksonville Jaguars select defensive end Travon Walker from Georgia with top pick. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Celebrating one of the five goals he scored for Real against Espanyol in September 2015. "That was an amazing goal, Rangnick said post-match. Cristiano Ronaldo was denied the best assist of his career against Brighton and Hove Albion. 2019-20 (Juventus) - Four game drought - scored seven in his next six. So when at Real Madrid, even the smallest goal drought was emphatically rectified and consistency usually equalled success. No problem. https://t.co/bwCFC3C4W3, Had that gone in, best assist so far https://t.co/bEcFjlj8XM, What an assist this would've been https://t.co/eccIpJ4Jk1. Clearly annoyed by a 4-0 home defeat by rivals Barcelona in late November 2015, he scored seven in his next four. An Explanation is still pending for this from Cristiano Ronaldo pic.twitter.com/uABj1SW50b. IAN LADYMAN: Four of Jurgen Klopp's super-team at Liverpool would now get into the club's ALL-TIME greatest XI, with modern geniuses Salah and Van Dijk both making it but who joins them? The five-time Ballon d'Or winner ended his six-game goal drought against the Seagulls to take his tally to 15 goals in 27 appearances during his second spell at Manchester United. 2006-07 (Man United) - Four game drought for United and Portugal in March/April then scored twice in 7-1 win over Roma. Nottingham Forest 'will sign ANOTHER big name ahead of their Premier League return' Big Rom's TOO big! Ronaldo decided against his usual celebration to perform a knee slide in front of the fans, It represented a contrast with the sulky Ronaldo we've seen in recent outings for United. I thought it was his testimonial': Roy Keane SLAMS Ralf Rangnick's decision to bring departing Spaniard off the bench in United's draw with Chelsea instead of giving an academy star a chance to shine, Todd Boehly's consortium are leading the race to buy Chelsea with rival bidders claiming the Swiss-American group are 'in front' as lengthy takeover process draws to a conclusion, MARTIN SAMUEL: Nigel Huddleston's threat to tax every Premier League club 50m is mad given the wealth gap making no distinction between rich and poor is not just financial illiteracy, it shows a complete ignorance of how competition works, Andy Gray insists Frank Lampard 'has NOT been good enough' at Everton, as the former striker admits he has 'never been more concerned' about his old club as they fight to avoid shock relegation, Fabian Schar agrees new two-year contract at Newcastle as Eddie Howe ties down one of his key players with the defender describing the city as his 'second home', Luka Modric is 'set to finish his playing career at Real Madrid after agreeing a contract extension', and he could be handed the chance to stay FOREVER with the Spanish giants due to offer him a role behind-the-scenes when he retires, Under-fire Bruno Fernandes thanks Man United fans for their 'unconditional support through good days and bad days' after their draw at home to Chelsea, following criticism for missed penalty in Arsenal defeat. Chelsea's midfield star reveals he was encouraging Raheem Sterling to move to Stamford Bridge Steven Gerrard reveals Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos REJECTED Champions League clubs to join Aston Villa rumours of a 'completely fractured' relationship with interim manager Ralf Rangnick. Picking up the ball 40 yards out, he ran purposefully at the Brighton defence, took a step to get the ball onto his right foot and then unleashed an unstoppable shot from just outside the box. Fans loved the pass from Ronaldo and reckon he would have had his best ever assist if Fernandes converted: That pass is acc sick https://t.co/Fm73jFjoYh, What a unbelievable pass! Last season, Ronaldo recovered from a mini-slump for Juventus with a goal against Inter Milan.
I think overall it was a good performance by Cristiano. He embarked on a streak of seven games for club and country in which he netted an astonishing 13 times. The Portuguese superstar refrained from celebrating with his usual 'SIUUUU' celebration and instead performed a passionate knee slide that made you know how important the goal was after a difficult period. The goal ended Ronaldo's longest spell without scoring a club goal in over a decade, since going 546 goalless minutes for Real Madrid between May and September 2010. His returns, chronologically by season, read: 33, 53, 60, 55, 51, 61, 51, 42 and 44. RT the shit outta the Ronaldo goal before they take it down & ban me for it! To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders, Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications, Published12:00,17 February 2022 GMT| Last updated12:20,17 February 2022 GMT. They're not done yet! He has scored 25 times against Atletico Madrid, who await in the Champions League last 16, and only Sevilla (27 goals) have suffered more punishment from the forward. 2008-09 (Man United) - 11 game drought in November-January broken against Derby in the Carling Cup then scored more regularly. Ronaldo would score 15 more between late January and the end of the campaign, including a stunning winner away to Porto in Europe, two crucial goals against Aston Villa before Federico Macheda's famous winner and two breath-taking strikes against Arsenal to take United to another Champions League final. That bodes well for United as they seek to kick on. He would actually go another four games without success in February 2011 but responded in style with a hat-trick against Malaga. It was certainly worth the wait. Not only an important one but an amazing goal. Once again, goal droughts are few and far between. Confidence restored, Ronaldo went on to score against Watford in the FA Cup semi-final, AC Milan in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final and a penalty winner in a crucial league game at Man City. Play it now. 2007-08 (Man United) - four game drought in April then scored four in three games to help win Premier League and Champions League. The following season, he would go four matches without scoring either side of the Covid lockdown. There was another four-game drought last season in January but Ronaldo returned to form with a brace in a Coppa Italia win away to Inter Milan and backed that up with a league goal against Roma. Ronaldo missed a penalty against Barcelona in first leg of 2008 Champions League semi-final, But he re-found his form to lead United to a Premier League and Champions League double. Cristiano Ronaldo DITCHES customary 'SIUU' celebration after Manchester United 2-0 Brighton: Cristiano Ronaldo stunner 'That was an AMAZING goal': Cristiano Ronaldo and Ralf 'Back on track! Rooney latched on to the exquisite pass, rounded Scott Carson and slotted home. 2010-11 (Real Madrid) - Four game drought at start of the season, then scored against Espanyol. A sluggish opening to the 2015-16 season, which included league matches against Sporting Gijon and Real Betis, plus a Portugal Euro qualifier in Albania, was followed up by a ridiculous five-goal performance at Espanyol. That only ended when he netted a penalty in the Carling Cup semi-final against Championship side Derby but it proved the catalyst for an important late season burst. Meanwhile, Ronaldo's all-round performance in the 2-0 win over Brighton reminded fans that he's still a special player and drew praise from interim manager Ralf Rangnick. Sir Alex Ferguson's team actually lost to both Roma and Portsmouth and if you also include a blank for Portugal in a 1-1 draw away to Serbia in Euro 2008 qualifying, Ronaldo, then 22, was four games without a goal. Important goals in big games. A year later and something similar happened. https://t.co/keGZrzIhUx, This could legit have been Assist of the Season. This included a 2-1 loss at Chelsea that blew the title race wide open in which he only came off the bench with 30 minutes left and the first leg of a Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in which he missed a penalty. Agent Mount! This pass from Cristiano Ronaldo is so underratedpic.twitter.com/T7N0d9SPKe. As Manchester United return to European action in a crucial phase in their season, they will hope his latest drought is over with. But the aforementioned drought in 2010, which came either side of the summer, ended in late September with a penalty against Espanyol. The comments below have not been moderated. So it's fair to say that goal droughts were few and far between. Then had 14 for club and country by the end of October. Ronaldo's three seasons with Juventus were just as impressive in terms of numbers with returns of 28, 37 and 36 goals. However his chest control was a little off and his touch took him away from goal - the chance ultimately going begging. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. In early April, he failed to score in matches against Blackburn and Portsmouth in the Premier League, plus the first leg of a Champions League quarter-final against Roma. He returned to form in stunning fashion by scoring two goals on one of United's finest-ever European nights - a 7-1 thrashing of Roma at Old Trafford. If he went three games without scoring there was something wrong. Cristiano Ronaldo ended his six-game goal drought in spectacular fashion as Manchester United beat Brightonon Tuesday to move back into the top four. Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group. But what you might not know is that in the same game, Ronaldo very nearly recorded an assist of the season contender.
Let's discount Ronaldo's first three seasons at Old Trafford, when he was more of a dazzling winger than a regular goalscorer and begin in 2006-07, when he netted 23 times. The ball looped over the Brighton defence and found the run of his compatriot Fernandes, who looked to be in one-on-one with Sanchez. But once again, there is clear evidence to suggest Ronaldo often returns to form in spectacular fashion. From then on, it's difficult to find a spell of even three games without a Ronaldo goal as he scaled ever loftier heights. With United 1-0 up on Tuesday night, Bruno Fernandes fizzed the ball into him under pressure from two Brighton defenders. Well, United continue their pursuit of a top four finish when they travel to Elland Road to play bitter rivals Leeds today. The 37-year-old didn't have much time at all and instinctively delivered the most outrageous first-time flicked pass into the path of Fernandes.
Ronaldo picked up the ball outside the box and unleashed a stunning strike past Robert Sanchez in the Brighton goal. Published: 05:00 EDT, 20 February 2022 | Updated: 05:00 EDT, 20 February 2022. In 2014-15, any slowing down of the scoring rate was quickly rectified. "Energetically, he was on there, he was always trying to help the team-mates so I think in the last weeks definitely the best performance by him and a very, very important goal for us., Topics:.css-a9imvo{color:#74b87f;}Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Brighton And Hove Albion, @media (max-width:767px){.css-4n1las{display:none;}}Chosen for You@media (min-width:768px){.css-1s8mc50{display:none;}}Chosen for You, Paulo Dybala Explains Why He Turned Down AS Roma's No.10 Shirt In Great Show Of Respect, Childhood Friends Zidane Iqbal And Charlie Savage Are Living The Dream Of Every Man Utd Fan, Virgil Van Dijk Casually Pinged A 70-Yard Lofted Through Ball To Mohamed Salah With Absolute Ease, Darwin Nunez's Individual Highlights Against RB Leipzig Has Liverpool Fans Very Excited, Darwin Nunez's Liverpool Career Bursts Into Life With FOUR Goals Against RB Leipzig, Jesse Lingard Joins Nottingham Forest On One-Year Deal After Leaving Manchester United, More Bets Placed On Manchester United To Win The Premier League Than Anyone Else, his 2008 assist for Wayne Rooney against Aston Villa, Cristiano Ronaldo Couldn't Help But Laugh At Manchester United Getting Torn Apart By Brighton, Man United 'Working To Persuade' Cristiano Ronaldo To Withdraw His Request To Leave The Club, Cristiano Ronaldo Sat Alone In The Dressing Room For 20 Minutes After Manchester United Hammering, Cristiano Ronaldo Receives Mega Offer Of 210 Million To Play In Saudi Arabia. Then next week, they take on a team sick to the back teeth of the sight of Ronaldo. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Four games without scoring in February then scored hat-trick in 7-0 win over Malaga. In November 2012, for example, he didn't score in three but then netted against Atletico. #MUFC #MUNBHA pic.twitter.com/MAx5FXqFJX. He scored four times against Racing Santander during a brilliant scoring run in 2010. So what next? Ronaldo then went another two games without scoring before something really clicked. United were chasing both the Premier League and the Champions League and Ronaldo went four games without scoring in April. CHRIS WHEELER: Ralf Rangnick's plan to combine the Austria job with his Man United consultancy role is cack-handed but it's not a mess of his making you couldn't blame him for getting a one-way ticket to Vienna! Lesser players might have buckled after four games without a goal but Ronaldo produced vital goals - two goals in a 4-1 win over West Ham, a pressure penalty in the final day title-decider at Wigan and, most important of all, a towering header against Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow. Ronaldo's hat-trick inspired a stunning turnaround against Atletico in the Champions League. So Ronaldo's first spell at United was full of instances when he bounced back from a dry spell with a glut of significant goals and they'll certainly hope, aged 37, he can repeat the feat now. The goal against Brighton stopped the clock at 587 minutes. This included a four-goal haul in a 6-1 win over Racing Santander at the Bernabeu. Ronaldo's goal record in nine seasons at Real Madrid is superhuman. But he then responded in style with seven goals in his next six outings to help Juventus win another Serie A title. Cristiano Ronaldo was back on song as Manchester United earned a crucial win over Brighton, The Portuguese star fired home from the edge of the box to open the scoring at Old Trafford. 2020-21 (Juventus) - Four game drought, returned with two goals against Inter in Coppa Italia and important goal vs Roma. Bruno just dey muzz me. So while form is temporary, Ronaldo has proved time after time that class is permanent. But it wasn't without difficulties. Ronaldo celebrates scoring in United's 7-1 thrashing of Roma in 2007 - after a barren patch. In March 2019, for instance, he had gone three games without a goal before the hat-trick against Atletico Madrid that overturned a two-goal first leg deficit and took Juve into the Champions League last eight. But also of encouragement is that Ronaldo generally follows goal droughts with goal gluts or, at the very least, a strike in a game of real importance. In 2008-09, his final season with United, Ronaldo endured the last truly huge goal drought of his career when he went 11 games without scoring during the winter. The flick evoked memories of his 2008 assist for Wayne Rooney against Aston Villa. Ronaldo scored from an outrageous distance as United overcame Porto in 2009. After opening the scoring, Ronaldo turned provider when he somehow knew that Rooney was running in behind and produced a glorious backheel that took out the whole Villa backline.