By Tim Spiers and Mark Carey
Dec 6, 2022
Morocco Portugal live as Cristiano Ronaldo enters match in World Cup quarterfinals.
Cristiano Ronaldo. Unquestionably one of the greatest footballers ever to grace this earth. Broken all manner of records and won (almost) everything. And, aged 37, still leading the line for Portugal.
Despite having some obvious shortcomings as time catches up with him, he is still the squad’s best finisher, still their best attacking threat in the air, still hates being substituted more than anyone else.
But as the baton gradually passes (or is wrenched away from him, amid kicks and screams) from Ronaldo to the next generation of Portuguese attackers — Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Goncalo Ramos et al — there’s one role that Ronaldo won’t yet relinquish; free-kick taker.
The routine is an extremely familiar one. Stand 10 yards from the ball, plant arms rigidly downwards like a particularly confident penguin psyching itself up to dive headfirst into the South Atlantic and catch a mouthful of krill, chest out, shoulders up, intake of breath, puff cheeks out, run up to the ball, shoot… and fire into the wall?
Ronaldo doesn’t score many free kicks these days. He used to be prolific, particularly in the early 2010s, when he scored seven (for Real Madrid and Portugal) in 2010-11, six in 2011-12 and 2013-14.
However, since 2014 (coincidentally or not, the same year he was diagnosed with tendinosis — which is like but not the same as tendonitis — in his left knee) those numbers have declined. He used to score as many as 10 per cent of the direct free kicks he took, but he hasn’t netted above five per cent of them in a season since 2016-17.
It’s just something he can’t really do anymore. The rest of us lose abilities we had when we were younger, like being able to do algebra or drink a pint at lunchtime and not have to nap in the afternoon. Ronaldo’s is free kicks (and maybe algebra, who knows).
He took almost two years to score his first free kick in a Juventus shirt and has only scored one in the Premier League since returning to Manchester United (which sealed a hat-trick against Norwich City in April), having netted 14 during his first spell with the Old Trafford club, many via that famous knuckleball technique. You remember the Portsmouth goal.
With Portugal – and specifically at major tournaments – it’s nothing new that Ronaldo struggles to find the net from dead-ball situations that aren’t penalties. He’s taken 53 direct free kicks for his country at World Cups and European Championships and scored once, a beautiful strike in that 3-3 classic against Spain at Russia 2018.
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Otherwise, a lot of balls clattering into walls or rocketing over crossbars.
Here’s where he has taken them all from at major tournaments since 2004, with the red circle being the launch point for that Spain goal.
It’s not like he’s not taking many. When Portugal were awarded a free kick against Uruguay last week, there was a lively discussion about who would fire it goalwards from 20-odd yards out, left of centre. Would it be Bruno Fernandes? Maybe Felix? Or Ruben Neves?
Before everyone else was briskly ushered away by the Portugal captain. This one went into the wall.
Indeed, since his first World Cup in 2006, no one in the sport has taken more direct free kicks at the finals than Ronaldo.
No one on that list has scored many either, mind, but you do wonder if someone else should be having a go for Portugal.
Looking at the past 30 free kicks Ronaldo has taken for his country, eight went into the wall, seven sailed over the bar, three went wide, four were what you’d class as fairly regulation saves at mid-range height, four were saved low, one was tipped over the bar, two were cross-shots arrowed into a crowd of players and one, against Sweden in the Nations League in September 2020, was scored.
A familiar theme running through pretty much all 30 is that Ronaldo places a big emphasis on the power and pace of his free kicks. Whether he’s shooting with the top of his foot or the side, pure grunt seems to be the primary aim, which perhaps explains why a high percentage of them either fly over the bar (as he doesn’t get much dip) or crash into the wall.
An advantage of that power is that, as in two cases of the 30 free kicks, if the keeper struggles to control the shot, there’s the chance of a Portugal goal via someone following up for a rebound.
It happened in the Nations League this summer against their opponents today (Tuesday) in the World Cup’s last 16, Switzerland.
Ronaldo fires his free kick low, to the left of the wall as he looks at it…
…Gregor Kobel blocks the powerful effort but can only palm it back out towards William Carvalho, who gives Portugal the lead.
If Ronaldo doesn’t play the percentages and purely goes for goal, aiming for the top corner, it often clears the bar, like this effort against Luxembourg last October.
Ronaldo’s record also suffers because he has the confidence and technique to try to score from a long, long way out.
Even just looking at his attempts at the World Cup, you can see a couple of dots near the centre circle or left touchline.
But then take away his ego, or his lack of subtlety, both of which arguably hinder his free kick record, and Ronaldo wouldn’t be the player he is. It’s all part of his greatness.
Who else should be taking them? Portugal’s other options are Felix, who only takes them very sporadically for Atletico Madrid; Fernandes, who has scored one for Manchester United (from 31 attempts) since joining the club in January 2020, Bernardo Silva, who according to Fbref.com has never attempted a single shot from a direct free kick during his five-year Manchester City career; or maybe full-backs Joao Cancelo or Raphael Guerreiro.
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Another contender is Neves, who has earned a reputation for scoring spectacular goals from range since moving to Wolves in 2017. Neves has scored five direct free kicks in that time. Of all Premier League players, only James Ward-Prowse (13) and James Maddison (eight) can beat that.
But the next time Portugal win a free kick, is Neves going to be the man to tap Ronaldo on the shoulder and say; ‘Out of the way, mate. This one’s mine’? Almost certainly not.
Ronaldo will undoubtedly score against Switzerland today now this piece has been written, but the numbers don’t lie; his free-kick magic deserted him a long time ago.
(Photo: Markus Gilliar – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
