- Cristiano Ronaldo is back in Manchester to take on City at the Etihad
- Real Madrid star has been in sensational form in the Champions League
- The former Manchester United star will look to get one over on their rivals
- Ronaldo is just seven short of reaching 100 Champions League goals
Surely there was never really any doubt about it?
Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence during their weekend win at Rayo Vallecano had sparked fears he might miss the Champions League showdown with Manchester City.
But you knew Ronaldo would have to be really, really incapacitated to miss this mouth-watering semi-final return to his old stomping ground of Manchester.
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo boasts a sensational goalscoring record in the Champions League
The Portugal international scored a brilliant hat-trick in the quarter-final to knock out Wolfsburg
Ronaldo had a spring in his step as he made his way out onto the Etihad Stadium pitch for training
His manager, Zinedine Zidane, delivered the reassuring news with a glint in his eye; Ronaldo is ‘100 per cent’ and primed for battle.
Ronaldo isn’t a man usually in need of additional motivation, but the former Manchester United star will be doubly determined to give their rivals City a good duffing up when he plays at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night
A hero on the red side of Manchester, Ronaldo’s legend will only be enhanced if he denies City passage into a maiden Champions League final over the next eight days.
At 31, Ronaldo has been confronted by frequent and quite absurd notions that he is past it. A game without scoring raised eyebrows, a couple of barren matches is a disaster.
But how can it possibly be said that a man who has scored 47 goals this season - including 16 in the Champions League - is over the hill?
Ronaldo had been a doubt with a muscle injury but has now been passed fit to play against Manchester City
Spirits were high in the Real camp following the news the 31-year-old is available for selection
For the sake of context, his tally 16 goals in this season’s competition is double the number scored by closest challengers Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller of Bayern Munich, and Luis Suarez of Barcelona.
And, just for the record, Ronaldo has 12 more goals than Lionel Messi in Europe this season.
It equates to a quite phenomenal ratio of a goal every 56.2 minutes for the Portuguese star in the Champions League this season. The next best is Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud - whose five goals were spaced every 77.4 minutes.
Ronaldo loves a record as we well know and a goal at the Etihad would equal the 17 he scored in Real’s ultimately successful 2013-14 Champions League campaign.
He is also within striking distance of a century of goals in Europe’s elite competition. After a few years of being neck-and-neck with Messi in the all-time Champions League scoring list, Ronaldo has majestically pulled away.
Zinedine Zidane (right) will be delighted his talisman is available for the Champions League semi-final
Ronaldo hurt his thigh muscle during the win over Villarreal and missed the clash with Rayo Vallecano
| Date | Team | Venue | Competition | Start | Off | On | Mins | Result/Goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21/11/2012 | Real Madrid | Etihad Stadium | Champs League | Yes | - | - | 90 | D - 0 | |
| 18/09/2012 | Real Madrid | Bernabeu | Champs League | Yes | - | - | 90 | W - 1 | |
| 10/05/2009 | Manchester United | Old Trafford | Premier League | Yes | - | 59' | 59 | W - 1 | |
| 30/11/2008 | Manchester United | Etihad Stadium | Premier League | Yes | - | - | 68 | W - 0 | |
| 10/02/2008 | Manchester United | Old Trafford | Premier League | Yes | - | - | 90 | L - 0 | |
| 05/05/2007 | Manchester United | Etihad Stadium | Premier League | Yes | - | - | 90 | W - 1 | |
| 09/12/2006 | Manchester United | Old Trafford | Premier League | Yes | - | - | 90 | W - 1 | |
| 14/01/2006 | Manchester United | Etihad Stadium | Premier League | Yes | - | - | 66 | L - 0 | |
| 13/02/2005 | Manchester United | Etihad Stadium | Premier League | No | 32' | - | 58 | W - 0 | |
| 07/11/2004 | Manchester United | Old Trafford | Premier League | Yes | - | - | 90 | D - 0 | |
| 14/03/2004 | Manchester United | Etihad Stadium | Premier League | Yes | - | 72' | 72 | L - 0 | |
| 14/02/2004 | Manchester United | Old Trafford | FA Cup | Yes | - | - | 90 | W - 1 | |
| 13/12/2003 | Manchester United | Old Trafford | Premier League | No | 73' | - | 17 | W - 0 | |
The current reckoning is 93 goals for Ronaldo and 83 for his Argentine adversary. You imagine he’s going to smash the 100 mark, probably next season.
So City have been warned. Ronaldo is undoubtedly going to receive a frosty reception at the Etihad but he’s no stranger to playing the pantomime villain, indeed he often thrives on it.
And he’s caused City plenty of pain in the past, too, for both Real and Manchester United before that.
Back in September 2012, it was Ronaldo who scored a stoppage-time winner as Real beat City 3-2 in a pulsating group stage encounter.
It was a case of what might have been for Roberto Mancini’s team, who led 2-1 with less than three minutes remaining before Ronaldo made the difference as he so often does.
Ronaldo who scored a stoppage-time winner as Real beat City 3-2 in a pulsating group stage encounter in 2012
| Player | Team | Goals | GPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronaldo | Real Madrid | 16 | 56.2 |
| Giroud | Arsenal | 5 | 77.4 |
| Mehmedi | Bayer Leverkusen | 4 | 92.5 |
| Lewandowski | Bayern Munich | 8 | 95.3 |
| Hernandez | Bayer Leverkusen | 5 | 97.4 |
| Suarez | Barcelona | 8 | 101.3 |
| Muller | Bayern Munich | 8 | 102 |
| Messi | Barcelona | 6 | 105 |
| Dzyuba | Zenit St Petersburg | 6 | 105.5 |
| Benzema | Real Madrid | 4 | 120.5 |
At United, Ronaldo came up against City 11 times and scored four times. Though this doesn’t compare too favourably with his record against other Premier League teams, there were some important interventions.
In May 2007, he held his nerve to score from the penalty spot as United won 1-0 at the Etihad and moved a step closer to their first Premier League title in four years.
Earlier that same season, Ronaldo scored and set up another for Wayne Rooney as United beat City 3-1 at Old Trafford to extend their lead at the top to nine points.
In February 2004, Ronaldo scored as United beat City 4-2 in a pulsating FA Cup fifth-round win, claiming victory despite the sending off of Gary Neville.
Ronaldo’s fourth goal against City in United colours came in a 2-0 win back in May 2009 as Sir Alex Ferguson’s team closed in on their third consecutive Premier League title. His deflected free-kick deceived City keeper Shay Given.
You sense Real would be more than happy to accept a Ronaldo goal in any form on Tuesday night.
Ronaldo’s fourth goal against United's rivals City in United colours came in a 2-0 win back in May 2009
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