Petulent Ronaldo under scrutiny
Print Edition
WITH Real Madrid in fully-blown crisis mode following back-to-back defeats and a trip to Barcelona tomorrow, last weekend’s 2-0 win over lowly Levante should have been a cause for celebration around the Santiago Bernabeu.
For one of its under-fire stars, at least, it was. Gareth Bale responded to the fiercest criticism he has faced in his 20-month spell in the Spanish capital with his first two goals in nine games. The Welshman reacted to his first strike by covering his ears to mock the boos and whistles his own fans had greeted him in a shock 3-4 defeat by Schalke.
Yet not everyone was thrilled. Cristiano Ronaldo’s response to Bale firing home after his initial effort had been headed off the line by Ivan Ramis was more in tune with watching the opposition score than his one of his teammates.
“Ronaldo’s extraordinarily stroppy reaction to Bale scoring from a rebound from his effort was bizarre and unhealthy," tweeted former England international Gary Linekar.
The Portuguese striker could barely hide his frustration once more when Bale was then credited with Real’s second after his drive cannoned in off the former Spurs man’s left leg.
That led to the quite unbelievable situation where Bale’s name was again whistled by the Bernabeu for having the audacity to claim a goal that was rightly his. “As a fan, I don’t like to see Cristiano Ronaldo like this, but that is what he is like,” said Real legend Carlos Santillana, who Ronaldo recently overtook to become the third highest goalscorer in the club's history. “He ought to cut out that cocky attitude.”
Ronaldo’s arrogance has long been seen as part of the formula which has made him such a great player and almost untouchable in the Spanish capital. His record of 293 goals in 285 games since joining from Manchester United six years ago speaks for itself. Yet, there is a growing feeling that a combination of factors are dragging Madrid’s main man down just when it needs him most ahead of the potentially decisive La Liga clash tomorrow.
Ronaldo has struck 41 times in 39 games this season, but his ratio has dropped from 1.39 goals a game to 0.64 in 2015. Off the field he has split from long-term Russian supermodel girlfriend Irina Shayk and was heavily criticized for hosting a huge 30th birthday party just hours after Real had been humiliated 0-4 by local rival Atletico Madrid last month.
He told reporters he wouldn’t be speaking publicly for the rest of the season after the Schalke debacle, and was seen muttering a profanity towards the Bernabeu stands when his umpteenth attempt to find the net against Levante was met with derision.
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