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Cristiano Ronaldo and speed have gone hand in hand for a long time. It has always been a massive part of his game. The step-overs have come and gone, the goal scoring has gotten immensely better, but throughout it all Ronaldo’s speed has been there.
He has struggled this year. He moved from winger to striker in an effort to reduce the amount of running he as to do, and also because Real Madrid’s first choice striker, Karim Benzema, has been embroiled in a court case for quite some time. The transition has not gone smoothly, and Ronaldo has not been able to find the same red-hot form he had at this time last year. He only has 8 goals in 11 La Liga matches this year after scoring 18 in his first 11 last year.
Bernd Schuster, an ex-coach for Real Madrid, had the following to say about Ronaldo playing striker this year.
"You make things much easier for opponents when you put Cristiano up top alone, because he has less space. He needs something more, he is not so comfortable in tight spaces. That is what has been happening to him lately, when he is very alone among the centre-halves and without support."
It has been a frustrating time at forward this year for Ronaldo. Photo: @SkyFootball | Twitter
Schuster thinks that Ronaldo is better on the wing, which is where Ronaldo primarily played last year. There is more space on the wing, but as he grows older and older Ronaldo’s speed will start to diminish. That means he will be less capable of taking advantage of said space, and thus become a less effective player. Case in point, his inability to capitalize on this 60m dash for glory by teammate Gareth Bale.
It seems that one solution to all of this would be for Ronaldo to somehow remain fast as he grows older. Coincidentally, no one other than the fastest human on the planet knows how to make Ronaldo’s speed more maintainable, no fountain of youth necessary.
Usain Bolt met Ronaldo when he was at Manchester United in 2009, and either during that time or since he came to the conclusion that Ronaldo can improve his running technique: "When [Ronaldo] is running and reaches top speed he starts to tip over. If he brought his foot down on the centre of gravity, or even in front of him, it will be much easier. He will be much better and he will go faster for longer."
Bolt is saying that with a change in technique Ronaldo can make sprinting easier on his body while still sprinting faster for longer. This could allow him to put his transition to forward on hold and return to his natural position on the wing. Returning to the wing could be exactly what he needs to rediscover the scoring form he had last year.
As exciting as the prospect of a free scoring Ronaldo is, it is unlikely that he will change his running technique, even if the fastest man in the world advised him to do so. There is no telling what a change in technique would do to Ronaldo’s ability to control the ball, dribble, pass and shoot. Still, it is exciting to think that Ronaldo could spend more time on the wing.
I wish speed could last forever, but just like Usain Bolt’s world-records, nothing is meant to last forever.
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