This topic is about Ronaldo in United vs Ronaldo in Madrid I would like from you folks to pick in these situations:-

1) Which Ronaldo would you like in your team and why
2) Which Ronaldo is better in Real Madrid's current situation overall

Stats:-

I'm very sorry however I couldnt find the detailed stats for Ronaldo in United. But try taking Ronaldos first season in madrid a bit similar to Ronaldo in united

Personally, Ronaldo in United had a deeper role than now, but I feel like he does what he has been told to, Ronaldo stats in every department seems to be increase, than decrease and than increase again. his sats arent stable. Ronaldo now seems to be more clinical however its hard to say he is better than messi now. Because the only thing that we can back him up is his goals, and only 10% were good ones. Where as Messi has been better in all departments and is only a couple goals less than Ronaldo but almost 40% of his goals were very good.

Then again its Goals that win you games, but if we strip out the entire team around them, well, Messi wins.

So i'd pay anything to bring Ronaldo back, Goals can be scored by anyone, but teamplay and chemistry with your team takes the main priority.

well i would like to know about your thoughts and opinions

Being a bit biased here, but I preferred him at United. He dropped in some of the most unbelievable crosses I'd ever seen, and we got to see him freestyle more.

I will comment, at United, Ronaldo was far more involved with starting the move and being involved in build-up, which isn't something we see at Madrid. He is often there for the finished product, which is admirable, but is the core reason why all the hardcore Messi fanboys make the case that Ronaldo is not the best player in the world.

I remember 07/08 quite well, (namely because that was the first year I really began following football/soccer) and when Ronaldo won the best player that year, it was utterly unquestioned. I don't remember the tally exactly, and I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think he was more than double the votes of Messi, and even the previous year when Kaka won, Ronaldo was ahead of Messi in the voting. (That one I did just look up).

His style at United is everything people point to him lacking now. When he moved to Madrid, he played straight up left winger instead of at United when he played more of a left midfielder or probably more accurately a left wing midfielder. The position he plays now in Madrid didn't even really exist in the football world when he was at United, and kudos to Ronaldo for thriving in it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I have no doubt Ronaldo could drop down the field into a deeper, more wide role, and do just as well (maybe better?) than he did at United. I also honestly believe that if he did, he would be unquestionably the best player in the world. However, Madrid would suffer, as Bale and Benzema are not as clinical in front of goal as Ronaldo, so it's a system we'll likely never see, but if any doubts are had about Ronaldo's ability to play in such as system, his last few years at United can be taken into account.

On the other hand, rayrex, I highly disagree with your final point. Teamwork and chemistry are happening with Ronaldo, they're just happening higher up the pitch to combine in finishing off moves. It's not as pretty, and makes Ronaldo a stats God instead of a football God, but I do think Madrid's system is built around that, and changing that would hurt the club on a massive scale.

Just my take.

great analysis @sunflash. +1

But, for the final point, i agree with you, however, Ronaldos goals this season, the thing which almost everyone tend to forget is his positioning, movement reaching the ball to score, and finally the point which i understood from you, is his understanding in his teammates playing style. Honestly if tapins are so easy every should just make a player in the penalty box for him to score, but they cant, cause its difficult to be at the exact position.

Take a look at Ozil, Angel and Alonso, Their level in madrid is miles, and i mean miles above their current form. Ozil was without a doubt the best midfielder in madrid tied with iniesta. Di maria was actually considered the third best player in the world in madrid, Alonso, well alosno is doing great in bayren but he was something else in madrid.

Why is that? Well its true that they were feeding ronaldo, but simultaneously, Ronaldo was an amazing receiver. He caught every through ball that went too him, look at Ronaldos first goal against juve which was assisted by angel, he went pass the defenders and wass at the exact postion from angels through ball, similar to Ronaldo's goal against barcelona in 2012 when we won 1-2, Ronaldo was in a great position from ozils pass, and when we drew 2-2 away for 2012 copa and again from ozil.

However the forwards in Arsenal and United now couldnt understand ADM and Ozil playing style, which is one of the reason of their downfall, true that they werent used in their proper position, but then again, they played almost everywhere in midfield in Madrid.

But overall spot on analysis @sunflash

wow, didnt know that actually @ramaboy, thanks for the info

@ramaboy with the amount they paid for him I hope their goal tally went up :p

@ray I agree with that last point you just made. A player is truly great when they make the players around them better, and Ronaldo has clearly done that with the three you highlighted.

Ronaldo sacrificed his flair to become more effective and efficient. He was awe-inspiring at United with his tricks, crosses, and mazy runs, but at Madrid he has become a more lethal player. I certainly believe he is a better player now, but definitely more eye-pleasing in the past with United.

He is just as equally involved in the pitch now as he was with United. With United, he dropped back more to get physically involved with the play. Now he stays further up to be more involved in the play without touching the ball. He physically drags defenders away for other players, such as Benzema and Higuain, to score. The amount of space he opens up with his runs is disastrous for the opponents. No one really notices this unless they watch Ronaldo with Madrid regularly, and then proceed to watch that same Real Madrid while Ronaldo is injured or suspended. The difference in the final third is shocking. There is no goal-threat, no physical presence, no runs, no space... it is quite unbelievable.

A lot of people claim that Messi can make all the players around him better, but Ronaldo can't. I think that's a very unfair observation. Ronaldo is quite proficient at making his team mates look good. It is because of his sheer presence that Marcelo can run up and be such an efficient wing-back and always find space to run into. Benzema's assist tally wouldn't be half of what it is without Ronaldo, and the same goes for his goal tally as well. ADM and Ozil have notoriously low figures since leaving Ronaldo's side, and the distinct drop in their stats is made obvious as no one makes the runs or has the goal-threatening presence that Ronaldo could have provided in the United/Arsenal squads. Completely agree with @Rayrex over here.

"On the other hand, rayrex, I highly disagree with your final point. Teamwork and chemistry are happening with Ronaldo, they're just happening higher up the pitch to combine in finishing off moves. It's not as pretty, and makes Ronaldo a stats God instead of a football God, but I do think Madrid's system is built around that, and changing that would hurt the club on a massive scale."

Agree with this point by @SunFlash as well. Ronaldo's statistics are god-like at the moment. Only Messi can boast an equal or better statistics chart. No player in the 21st century has been able to match these statistics, and that should say quite a bit about how far ahead these two players are compared to others in their generation. The Brazilian Ronaldo only cracked 40+ goals once, and he is considered to be one of the greatest forwards and one of the greatest players in history. If that's the case, how should we consider Messi and C. Ronaldo? C. Ronaldo has hit 50+ goals five times and 60+ goals twice, while Messi has hit 40+ goals six times and has even breached 70 goals once. This is in a world where 30+ goals is considered to be a world-class return for a striker...

From my perspective it is hard to refute that Ronaldo is a better player at Madrid than he was at United. Not saying people can't believe Ronaldo was better at United though. Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and United fans give some solid reasons for believing he was better at United. It's just that from my perspective, as a person who's watched 90% of Ronaldo's games over the last six seasons at Madrid, he's gotten more deadly and more world-class than he was at United.

A very good analysis by G. Neville on CR7 from 3 seasons ago. This was during a 4-1 home win against Sevilla in which Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and assisted Benzema. He sums up a lot of my points with video proof, so I encourage everyone to watch it. Just click "Watch on YouTube".

Ronaldo used to be a more effective player team-wise by playing for the team so I would obviously rather have United's Ronaldo. I just used to enjoy his gameplay much more back when he was in the EPL. Stats may be deceiving but Ronaldo did a lot for United and was more effective in terms of trophies.

@Tuanis

Ronaldo won 9 trophies in 6 years with a stable United squad under one manager. He won 7 trophies in 6 years against one of the greatest teams ever seen (Barcelona) under 3 entirely different managers and new key teammates every season at Madrid.

It is quite shocking to see you believe Neymar to be a better player than Ronaldo.

@Dyn I agree with you completely. Sadly many people don't even watch his games and judge completely in dribbles. Especially when they take into account a single season to judge his playing style for his entire career.

Ronaldo is one of those players who can change from playing style to playing style, judging him from one season is illegal.

I enjoy CR7 in Manchester United much more than he is now.

Beside all the arguments you guys mentioned, one big factor is that Real's squad is extremely strong and deep, that also makes him score more now-a-day.

His attitude the last few years in Real is also a problem that I dislike it so much.

@ramaboy10: nice stats, but it's also more fair if there are relevant stats of other powered teams, I believe they all have higher scoring rates too.

Real Madrid Ronaldo is the best one, he never stopped progressing, he stopped his useless dribles next to the corner to make his game more effective. He faced exactly what Bale, Suarez and Neymar were facing in their first season, the adaptation to the Spanish Defensive style with smaller defenders but move faster and do not tackle much, that limitated his old PL style of play and he was forced to adapt his style into a striking machine with accuracy and fast excecution.
This leaded him to score 17 goals in only one CL compain not just only in la liga.
Neymar also faced the lack of space in the Spanish league and stopped his tricks because its not very effective there...

I wonder how much goals the actual Ronaldo would have bagged in the PL if he was ompeting with Messi the whole season, he would break the record there no doubt if he has the necessary help of his teammates.

If the Real Madrid Ronaldo went to the EPL in his prime, then he would surely bag 40 goals in at least one of the seasons. There's no way he wouldn't break the EPL record for most goals in a season.

EDIT:: Assuming he has team mates of the caliber as his current Real Madrid team mates.

Im just saying he is more effective and his goals/appearances meant more silverware to the team. If we took today's Ronaldo and placed him in United squad for 2006-2009 I dont think the results would have been as good for the team. If anything he became more individual now that the team plays for him.

Anyways, we cant compare a player like Ronlado only by individual stats. What use does it have to be a better goalscorer if the team can benefit from it? He started being a top class player for United since around 2006 and from that point on he went on to win 7 trophies with a team that was not as good individually as Madrid's squad. Madrid's squad dint have a ton more rotation than United's when Ronaldo used to play there and having different managers is not exactly a reason to justify Madrid's or Ronaldo's performance.

It is really hard to compare two different sides of a player that has changed so much.
And to answer rayrex's questions..

1- I would rather have United's Ronaldo as he is much more useful to the team. Individualities hardly ever win anything and Ronaldo while at United was key for the successful seasons. Madrid may have forged Ronaldo into a goalscoring machine but that wasnt exactly Ronaldo's best suit. Ronaldo would flop in any team where he is not the main star/target man.

2- Answering which Ronaldo is better would be a matter of looking at the facts. More goals and less trophies vs less goals and more trophies. I value trophies very high because that is what moves the world of football and what teams compete for. Ronaldo at United had to face the era of English football at it's finest when the league was one of the best forms ever so it wasnt really easy for him even though Barcelona wasnt a direct rival.

Finally, football is a sport, meant for spectacle and entertainment. Ronaldo won more silverware in less time being a joy to watch while he was at United. You could compare different phases of Messi in the same team and see that he's best seasons are not necessarily the ones in which he scored more goals. This case applies to many other players in other scenarios..

@Tuanis

"Madrid may have forged Ronaldo into a goalscoring machine but that wasnt exactly Ronaldo's best suit"

• Perhaps not in your eyes, but he has won 3 Pichichi's, 3 Golden Boots, 1 UEFA POTY, and 2 Ballon d'Ors after he had changed his style.

"Ronaldo would flop in any team where he is not the main star/target man. "

• Pray, tell me in which team Ronaldo wouldn't be the main star or target man? There isn't a better center-forward in the world right now. Even if he's forced to play in his old position as a winger, he is still better than the likes of Arjen Robben and Eden Hazard. No matter which team he plays for, Ronaldo will always be the main star. Even if he played with Messi, their playing styles would complement one another, resulting in more goals and assists for both Messi and Ronaldo.

"What use does it have to be a better goalscorer if the team can benefit from it?"

• Is it Ronaldo's fault his defenders make mistakes? Is it his fault that his manager picks the wrong tactics? He does his job day in, day out. He scores all those goals, makes all those runs and plays, and assists so much. And how do you possibly perceive that Madrid don't benefit from his goals? Madrid went trophyless for two consecutive seasons from 2008-10 as Barca won the treble and Ronaldo arrived and was slowly changing his playing style. After he had successfully changed his playing style, Madrid won 7 cups from 2010-15. That is an upgrade from just three from 2005-10. Ronaldo helped more than double the rate of return for trophies.

"Ronaldo at United had to face the era of English football at it's finest when the league was one of the best forms ever"

It is easier to win trophies if you face a team that is your equal (Chelsea) than a team that is superior to you (Barcelona). Even still, Ronaldo had a manager who had been managing a team in the EPL since the EPL had first existed. Mourinho and Ancelotti went into Madrid for their first ever time in Spain. Title races are handled differently in each league due to contrasting styles and identities of clubs. Moreover, United was already a force to be reckoned with when Ronaldo rose to power. In 2009, Madrid had failed to go past the quarter final stage of the Champions League since Zidane last won it in 2003. That is definitely not a club which is capable of beating the mighty Barcelona to a league title.

"football is a sport, meant for spectacle and entertainment. Ronaldo won more silverware in less time being a joy to watch while he was at United."

• So he is not a joy to watch right now at Madrid? Are dribbles the only entertaining part of football? Isn't a beautiful tackle by John Terry as entertaining as a mazy run by Neymar? What you are trying to say is that you found Ronaldo more entertaining at United, you think that dribbling is the only thing that makes United's Ronaldo better than Madrid's. If you are going to back up a claim, you must do so with facts, not opinions. The only fact you presented is Ronaldo winning more trophies at United at an equal amount of time. To that, I respond: 9 trophies and 7 trophies in 6 years isn't much difference at all.

At United he played in 2 cups at once (he won 1 FA Cup and 2 League Cups in twelve attempts in six years), whereas he only plays in the Copa at Madrid (won it twice in six attempts in six years). Moreover, he had the same key team mates for a long period of time at United, along with one manager and a stable environment. He joined the laughing stock of European football in Madrid to help a team that had been losing consistently to rise to the top once more. He is surrounded by different team mates every season, has gone through 4 different managers, and has been competing with the greatest club football team of the 21st century for the last six seasons. You have yet to respond to any of my arguments regarding this matter.

"having different managers is not exactly a reason to justify Madrid's or Ronaldo's performance"

• You're right, mate, because his performances did not change at all. He was always consistently amazing and never dropped his performances. The managers affected how the team played, not how Ronaldo played. Mourinho failed to beat Borussia Dortmund with a clearly superior Madrid squad. But it's Ronaldo's fault they didn't win that season, right? Mourinho came 2nd place to Barcelona by 15 points even though that Barca team's inferiority was proven by the 7-0 in the same season. Still Ronaldo's fault they didn't win the trophy, right? Pellegrini lost to Alcorcon 4-0 in the Copa and failed to beat Barcelona to the title even though he only had La Liga to focus on. Still Ronaldo's fault, right????

Trophies depend on the team and how the team plays. They are not individual awards and should not be mistaken for being individual awards. Messi can carry Barcelona to the treble, but that treble is not just because of Messi. It happened because of the efforts of all his team mates, coaches, staff, and supporters put together. It is an achievement of FC Barcelona as an identity, and the same goes for all the trophies Manchester United and Real Madrid have ever won. Ronaldo's trophies are just parts of fantastic teams he has been on. Just because he won more trophies at United doesn't mean he was better at United. It just means that United and Madrid's situations and identities have been extremely different from 2003-2015.

Rant = over. Jesus.

The only reason Ronaldo is having less titles ( more titles in England ) is Barça presence there, thats the only reason because despite reaching +85 pts you still have a chance to finish second.

Make sense +1 @tiki

Well first of all @tuan I completely disagree with the point of having overpowered squads. No matter how strong a team has individually, you cant deny any of their stats. If were to conclude with that idea than we should downgrade players like Aguero, Costa Rooney Bale Neymar etc. who pllay with teams that are technically world class, and Upgrade players like Pelle Kane Adruiz Vela etc. who play with average teams.

I would pick a team with Chemistry and understanding than individual talent unless I make those individuals work together. Which is almost impossible thanks to Individual glory, which isn't a bad thing but affects team morale.

When you said that it was thanks to Madrid's overpowered team for Ronaldo's success, I agree that it was also thanks to his teammates like Benz, Marcelo and Modric, but simultaneously Ronaldo is also the key to Real Madrid's success. Similar to Messi, who is the key to barcelona's success with the past years, you cant deny that his teammates were also important to his playing style, Without Alba and neymar, We saw what was Barcelona attack and defense. NO team can rely on a single player, they need a unit to rely on.

I also agree with @tiki post

2014/2015: (1)Barcelona: 94 (2)Madrid: 92 Gap: +2

2013/2014: (1)Atletico: 90 (2)Bar/Mad: 87 Gap: +3

2012/2013: (1)Barcelona: 100 (2)Madrid: 85 Gap: +15

2011/2012: (1)Madrid: 100 (2)Barcelona: 91 Gap: +9

2010/2011 (1)Barcelona: 96 (2) Madrid: 92 Gap: +4

2009/2010: (1)Barcelona:99 (2)Madrid: 96 Gap: +3

Aside of the 2011-2013 years which have more than a +5 gap, the others only needed one game to change everything.

Barcelona are always a game ahead than Madrid, these two teams are always neck and neck, but it all only needs one game to change everything and it doesnt need to be a classico match.

In 2012/2013 where barca had an amazing 15 point gap than madrid, at the same year, Madrid didnt lose to barca in both classico, with one win and a draw, but the point gap seems waaaay to big for the draw, right?

@Dyn, i think tuanis meant that as an more visually entertaining. Like you post about the spot on review from Gary neville, most people cant see that, especially fans nowadays who prefer dribbles and skills than tackling, positioning, passing, man-marking etc. (I'm not pointing to you tuanis but fans who only listen what they hear and judge.)
I prefer watching Ronaldo in United than the one in Madrid, but I know the Madrid one is more matured and better in the game.