Portugal's Christiano Ronaldo reacts after the drawn World Cup group 1 qualifying soccer match against Denmark at Parken in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday Sept. 5, 2009. Portugal badly needed a victory in Copenhagen to have a realistic chance of qualifying for next year's World Cup in South Africa. The Portuguese team has won just two of its six qualifying matches and drew another.(AP Photo/Tariq Mikkel Khan/POLFOTO)
After several seasons of media speculation over his future, Cristiano Ronaldo finally signed with Real Madrid this summer from Manchester United for a world-record fee of £80 million. The deal is also believed to have made the Portugal captain the highest paid footballer in the world.
Joining Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabéu in 2009 are fellow superstars Kaká, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso.
But with the current FIFA World Footballer of the Year’s ankle injury keeping him sidelined for a month, Real’s fortunes have changed massively.
Los Galácticos began the season on fire; winning the first seven competitive matches the side took part in.
However, the first loss Madrid suffered had one notable absentee from the team sheet – Ronaldo.
That match saw Sevilla claim maximum points in the La Liga clash with a 2-1 win.
Since that result, Ronaldo has not recovered from his ankle injury suffered with international duty against Hungary and Real has won just a solitary match from four outings.
To top that dismal form guide off, Real were knocked out of the Copa del Rey overnight after being thrashed 4-0 by third division side Alcorcon.
The minnows have a budget over 400 times smaller than the European giants and still managed to pull off the victory and pile more pressure on Madrid manager Manuel Pelligrini.
Some may say that Real’s recent poor form may be from a few players being out of action, but the statistics show how vital Ronaldo is to the team’s success.
In his first four matches in La Liga for the club, Ronaldo had already broken a goal scoring record.
Ronaldo became the first Madrista to score in each of his first four League matches after grabbing the opener against Villareal.
The Portuguese superstar has five goals in five appearances in La Liga, all of which resulted in wins for Real Madrid.
Ronaldo also appeared in two UEFA Champions League matches, scoring braces against FC Zürich and Marseille to make him the top goal scorer in Europe.
Nine goals in seven appearances is an impressive return for a player questioned by some as to how he would adjust to Spanish football after making his name in the English Premier League.
Let’s not forget that Real Madrid has won every match he has played in.
So where does this leave Los Blancos?
It is not the end of the world; the team still sits second in La Liga, just three points behind Barcelona and Real are still top of Group C in the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo is also likely to be absent from Madrid’s visit to the San Siro against AC Milan in the Champions League and the derby against Atletico Madrid.
But if a serious injury hits Ronaldo later in the season – then there is reason to worry.
Despite a star-studded line-up, the team will not be the same without its barometer in full flight and surely the pressure will continue to build on Pelligrini the longer Ronaldo is missing.
As the past month has shown – when there is no Ronaldo, there is no Real.
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