Cristiano Ronaldo on the decline at Manchester United: Star's 2021-2022 season under the microscope

Kyle Bonn

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Cristiano Ronaldo on the decline at Manchester United: Star's 2021-2022 season under the microscope image

It's been over a decade since we've seen Cristiano Ronaldo come close to anything like this: You have to go back to 2009 to see the Portuguese superstar on a goal-less streak of matches as long as the six-game drought he's experiencing now.

Ronaldo started as the center forward in a 1-1 draw against Southampton on Feb. 12, and he once again came up empty in the scoring department with two shots on target and one big chance missed, according to SofaScore. But beyond the statistics, he looked out of sorts and there was a spring missing in the 37-year-old's step. 

After starting strong in his return to Manchester United back in September, notching enough goals that still see him lead the team with eight, Ronaldo has waned with every match, especially since Ralf Rangnick has taken over the reins at the club.

MORE: How Southampton held Man United at Old Trafford

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has now gone six matches without a goal, including five Premier League games and an FA Cup ouster against Middlesbrough in which he missed a penalty.

Cristiano Ronaldo matches without a goal

Here's the breakdown of six matches which have left Ronaldo still without a goal during the 2022 calendar year.

Match
Streak		 Date Competition Match Result Mins.
Played
6 Feb. 12 Premier League vs. Southampton 1-1 D 90
5 Feb. 8 Premier League at Burnley 1-1 D 22
4 Feb. 4 FA Cup vs. Middlesbrough 1-1 D 120
3 Jan. 22 Premier League vs. West Ham 1-0 W 90
2 Jan. 19 Premier League at Brentford 3-1 W 71
1 Jan. 3 Premier League vs. Wolves 0-1 L 90

Ronaldo takes on the substitute role in 2021-22

The forward already has three matches this season in which he has started among the substitutes and come on before the full-time whistle. In all three substitute appearance he appeared with the game knotted at 1-1, with Manchester United having squandered a lead before Ronaldo's introduction.

All three times he failed to change the tide.

MORE: Paul Pogba is a welcome sight at Man United

Those three league cameos have already matched his substitute appearances in his three full seasons with Juventus combined.

More glaringly, he made zero substitute appearances across his final five La Liga campaigns at Real Madrid. You have to go back to the 2012-13 season to find a league campaign that saw Ronaldo come off the bench three times or more.

Cristiano Ronaldo and the substitute's bench aren't exactly friends.

What's wrong with Cristiano Ronaldo?

There has been much to criticize about Manchester United this season, with several other players arguably deserving far more criticism. Yet because of the name on the back of his jersey, the buck often stops with the Portuguese forward.

Prior to the Feb. 12 match against Southampton, Ronaldo was averaging 38.4 touches per match this season, the first time he's averaging below 40 a game, dating back to the 2015-16 season when the data collection began. That's down significantly from his time at Juventus where he was a constant attacking presence, averaging 52.5, 56, and 47.8 touches per match across his three seasons in Turin.

MORE: Could this March see Messi play his last World Cup qualifiers?

He wasn't quite the central hub at Real Madrid, in a team bulging with superstars, but he still averaged 43.5, 44, and 46.8 touches per game in his final three La Liga campaigns before the data cuts off.

As a result of having fewer touches, every other offensive category has suffered. His shots per 90 have slumped, consistently in the 5.5-7.0 range until last season at Juventus when he dropped to 5.35, and now he's cratered at just 4.01 shots per 90 thus far with Manchester United going into the Southampton match.

His goal contributions are falling off as well, with his eight Premier League goals coming on a league expected goals (xG) total of 10.51. Last season at Juve, despite showing some signs of decline, he still managed to score 29 goals on 29.84 xG. Even his assist totals have shrunk, with three assists this season on an expected assists (xA) of 1.76. He had been somewhere in the 4.0-6.0 xA assist per season range for some time now.

All those numbers put Ronaldo on pace for career worsts in 2021-22. Ronaldo has never been a prolific finisher compared to his xG, always thriving on finding himself in excellent positions to finish rather than score from absurd positions, but even xG differential is alarming. Ronaldo has already underperformed his xG by 2.51 goals, which would be a career worst as it stands, on pace to nearly double his next lowest total of -2.32 in his first season at Juventus.

It all starts with his involvement. Simply put, Ronaldo has failed to see the ball at a consistent rate at Manchester United. Whether that's down to his teammates or down to him is a matter for another debate and requires far more exposition — it's surely a combination of both — but suffice it to say that at 37 years old, the formerly inhuman striker looks, well, quite human.

Could Cristiano Ronaldo leave Manchester United?

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has been transparent with his decisions to sit Ronaldo on those occasions. For the last benching at Burnley, just three days after Ronaldo's 37th birthday, the German coach's reasoning pointed to Ronaldo's inability to fulfill specific assignments that are more physically demanding.

Renowned for his fitness and preparation, Ronaldo takes pride in doing whatever it takes to remain in top shape, and he still feels he can compete with the best of them. He also hasn't taken too kindly to being subbed off, including on Jan. 12 at Brentford. 

"I like to challenge first of all myself, I think it’s the most important," Ronaldo said during an in-depth interview in January. "This is why I came back, because I think I’m still capable to do important things and good things, and impress people. So this is why I’m back at Manchester."

He may have the best intentions, but the numbers say that Ronaldo is mired in one of his worst goal-scoring droughts of the last decade plus and after setting such a high standard throughout his career, every shortcoming continues to be magnified: 

Ronaldo was also guilty of missing a penalty kick that was a contributing factor to Man United's FA Cup ouster at the hands of Middlesbrough.

And while he remains stuck in the doldrums at Old Trafford, eternal rival Lionel Messi has managed to turn around the slow start to his Paris Saint-Germain career and his influence is only growing at PSG with every passing game.

So the moment begs the question: What exactly is Ronaldo's role at Man United from this point forward? Edinson Cavani's contributions have not come with any more flair or fruit, and Mason Greenwood is out of the picture for the foreseeable future, meaning it's likely that Ronaldo remains the central figure for the rest of the season.

MORE: Ronaldo misses penalty, Man United eliminated from FA Cup

Still, there is increasing speculation about Ronaldo's future at the club beyond this year — Ronaldo signed a two-year deal last summer — and those rumors will only grow with every match in which he struggles or fails to produce.

Whether he sticks around at Man United for another season or pushes his way out the door after just one campaign, it's clear that the 37-year-old is no longer the conduit for success that he once was.

For fans accustomed to seeing Ronaldo take over matches by himself, the 2021-22 season is delivering a very different, sobering experience. There are moments when you can't help but wonder whether we're seeing the beginning of the end for one of the all-time greats.

Kyle Bonn

Kyle Bonn Photo

Kyle Bonn, is a Syracuse University broadcast journalism graduate with over a decade of experience covering soccer globally. Kyle specializes in soccer tactics and betting, with a degree in data analytics. Kyle also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer, and has had previous stops with NBC Soccer and IMG College. When not covering the game, he has long enjoyed loyalty to the New York Giants, Yankees, and Fulham. Kyle enjoys playing racquetball and video games when not watching or covering sports.