Cristiano Ronaldo is always included in any discussion about the best soccer players in the world, and for good reason. The two time defending Ballon d’Or winner has been tearing defenses up with his patented combination of speed and precision, leaving his opponents with little more than a prayer to stop him. But here’s the scary thing: Ronaldo may be having his best individual season at the club level this year.
Through 30 games in the 2014-2015 campaign, Ronaldo leads La Liga with 37 goals, putting him four ahead of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, and 20 ahead of anyone else in Spain’s top flight. But that disparity between Ronaldo and the third top scorer in La Liga brings up an important point, the fact that Ronaldo’s pricey teammates at Real Madrid have not been able to keep up with the superstar in the goals department. As a result, Real are in danger of losing out on La Liga this year, and could see themselves crash out of the Champions League depending on their matchups down the road.
So is help on the way for Ronaldo, as he tries to carry Los Blancos to yet another successful campaign?
Well, if Ronaldo is to get the help he needs, he will need to see greater production from his partners up top. We’ve chronicled Gareth Bale’s struggles previously, but Karim Benzema will also need to help take Real Madrid to the finish line with some inspired play. Combined, Bale and Benzema are averaging six shots per game, which is just slightly under Ronaldo’s average by himself. As a result, the two have combined for 28 total goals on the season, nearly a full 10 goals fewer than Ronaldo.
However, some help is indeed on its way, coming in the form of Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez. James, the breakout star of last summer’s World Cup, has returned from a foot injury and has already made an impact on the team since coming back. His goal against Rayo Vallecano this week followed Ronaldo’s opener to give Real a 2-0 cushion, once which they did not relinquish.
Perhaps more important than James’ scoring touch, though, is his ability to distribute the ball. Rodriguez has an elite pass completion percentage of 87.3%, which is especially impressive given how many passes from Madrid’s midfield are aggressive balls forward to spring Bale, Benzema, and Ronaldo. Having Rodriguez back in the fold for Real Madrid will equal more precise passes into attacking areas, which could very well ignite the underperforming Bale and Benzema.
In fact, we saw a prime example of this on Sunday, as Rodriguez dished out two assists (including one to Benzema) in Real Madrid’s 9-1 thrashing of Granada at the Santiago Bernabeu. And while, sure, Granada looks like they are in serious danger of being relegated this season, nine goals in a match is still nine goals in a match. Even more impressive is that Real were held scoreless into the 25th minute, then unleashed an average of one goal every 7.2 minutes over the game’s final 65.
Cristiano Ronaldo has had to carry Real Madrid for much of this season. But the return of a vital piece in the midfield could change all of that by season’s end.