Cristiano Ronaldo is considered a model player, because of his perseverance, strong mentality and a desire to win. At the age of 35, he is still a goalscorer of Juventus, after achieving resounding successes at Man United and Real Madrid.
The Portuguese superstar is a constant threat in the opponent's goal, thanks to his ability to score effectively at close range, good at aerial combat as well as being an expert on the penalty spot.
However, when taking direct free kicks, Ronaldo's scoring ability was not as perfect as most people were impressed with. According to statistics in the first 12 professional seasons, CR7 has scored 44 goals from free kicks, including exemplary goals against Portsmouth (England Premier League) or Arsenal (Champions League semi-finals).
According to recent research, Ronaldo's direct free kicks rarely become goals. Since 2014, he has scored just nine more goals in 174 shots, with a success rate of just 5%.
Compared to other free kick experts, Ronaldo's success rate is very low. For example, Willian (Ch Chelsea) scored 11 goals after 61 shots (1%). Dybala, Pijanic - Ronaldo's 2 teammates at Juventus also had much better free kicks with scoring rates of 16% and 10% respectively. As for Messi, he has 24 goals after 266 free kicks, equivalent to 8%.
Ronaldo has a unique free kick that sends the ball away with a very uncomfortable trajectory. But since 2011, he has changed the playing style, using more mu, using less force, not using the big toe... However, the injuries to the thigh muscles and tendon inflammation have greatly affected the Portuguese superstar's free kick-off ability.
Opta pointed out that in his first season at Juventus, Ronaldo scored 25 goals but none were from direct free kicks. In 40 free kicks, Ronaldo hit the fence 25 times, went to the sky 3 times, was blocked 11 times by the goalkeeper and hit the crossbar once.
