2017 has just begun, and it’s already been extremely unkind to both Real Madrid and 2016 Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.
The current club world champions had their historic unbeaten streak snapped by Sevilla in La Liga, cutting into their lead at the top of the table.
Although they did return to winning ways in the league last Saturday, they did it in a very unconvincing fashion against a struggling Malaga side at the Santiago Bernabeu. They were evenly matched by the Andalusian club and scraped a 2-1 win thanks to Sergio Ramos’ brace from a pair of set pieces.
Shortly after, they were eliminated by Celta Vigo in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, ending their lofty goal of winning the treble this season.
The fans were clearly disappointed with their side’s decline in form and decided to vent their frustration with Ronaldo by jeering him after a series of miscues against Malaga.
Ronaldo has scored 12 goals in 14 La Liga matches, making him the top scorer at the club, but he has struggled to wreak havoc on defenses in his last four games.
He did score a stunning free kick against Celta Vigo in the second leg of the Copa del Rey quarterfinal, but he also missed a sitter from just a few feet out that might have changed the outcome of the tie.
Against Malaga, he looked sluggish and uncharacteristically sloppy, giving the fans license to jeer him whenever he lost possession.
A few opportunities to silence the critics came later in the game on Saturday, but the post and Malaga keeper Carlos Kameni stopped him from getting on the scoresheet.
This isn’t the first time the Portuguese superstar has been whistled by his own supporters at the Bernabeu.
He was also jeered earlier this season against Athletic Bilbao. He was experiencing a bad run of form and missed a one on one chance against the Basque club, resulting in whistles from the supporters.
Home was’t a fortress for him last season either, as he was noticeably jeered in games against Roma and Barcelona, when they suffered a staggering 4-0 defeat.
Even manager Zinedine Zidane has stepped in to ask the fans to get behind the team and to show the players love.
Although he hasn’t been at his dominating best over the past two weeks, the Portuguese has scored an astonishing 383 goals in 372 games since arriving from Manchester United in the summer of 2009, becoming the top scorer for the club in the process.
3 - Cristiano Ronaldo is the only La Liga player to have scored a direct free-kick in three different competitions this season. Bomb. pic.twitter.com/EYh9376LyR
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 25, 2017
He has become an icon and the face of Real Madrid in just seven and a half years there, signing a justified extension through 2021. Jeering a player of his class displays a memory of the lowest caliber, even by the very high standards Madridistas set for their players.
On the verge of turning 32, Ronaldo may be losing a step or two. However, he has always proven that criticism makes him stronger, in fact, he encourages it. The jeers from his own fans might just be the fuel he needs after his astonishing 2016.
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