Scoring droughts are often reason to raise concern about the quality of a certain player at a certain time. In baseball, hitting droughts are quite common among top tier players, as well as average performers. In American football, a receiver or running back could hit a slump where they don’t find the end zone for a number games. Wayne Gretzky, often referred to as the greatest hockey player to ever live once went 21 games without finding the back of the net. Slumps in sports are not rare. To me, there are two kinds of slumps though. The first is pretty much what I referenced above. A player in the middle of a season goes on a drought for a few weeks, whether it be hitting, shooting, catching, scoring, etc. You have seen that player do great things for his current team, and they are just having a minor setback during a normal season and you are confident things will eventually go back to normal. The second slump I want to bring up is when someone is traded and starts off for their new team in a drought. An example of this would be Diego Forlan, who is known as one of the greats in the soccer world. In 2002 he was transferred to Manchester United, a top tier English football club. Like any team who signs a rising star, the expectations are immense. It took Forlan 13 games to net his first goal for the English giants. Many fans call his tenure at Man U a flop, scoring just 10 goals in 63 appearances for the club.
The reason I bring these examples up is because soccer fans all over the world are awaiting Cristiano Ronaldo’s first goal for his new team Juventus in the Italian league Serie A. Seeing how well he has performed for every other team he has played for, we expected nothing less than greatness at his new location. He too once played at Manchester United, where he first made a name for himself globally. He scored 84 goals for the club in 6 years in the Premier League. His transfer to the Spanish team Real Madrid led to even more success, scoring 311 goals in 292 appearances in La Liga. With these outstanding numbers, many expected a goal on his debut for Juve against Chievo, but it did not come. In his second game in the Italian league..again a goal did not come. His third game this most recent Saturday was against Parma, and he came so close to scoring however came up just short after missing a shot that should have found the back of the net. Recording an assist but no goal.
I am a Juventus fan. I was absolutely thrilled to see my favorite soccer team sign the world’s biggest star. The team does not need him in order to win the Scudetto (Serie A Championship), which they have done the last 7 years without him. However, Juve continues to fall short of their biggest goal which is a Champions League Final victory. For those who are unaware of what Champions League is, it is a massive tournament featuring all of the greatest club teams in soccer. It is the biggest tournament on the planet between club teams, and the most important trophy a player can add to their legacy behind a World Cup win. Juventus hasn’t won this since 1996. So acquiring Ronaldo made it obvious that this is on the top of their to-do list. As a Juventus fan, I myself am not worried about 3 goalless games from the Portuguese star. I know how good he is, what he is capable of, and there is no doubt in my mind that Ronaldo will find the back of the net eventually. Despite having their best player score 0 goals in his first three games, Juventus is still 3-0 and on top of the league’s table with 9 points followed by Sassuolo in second place with 7 points. So there is no need for concern.
Of course there are always negative minded fans who think no goals from Ronaldo in three games is the start to a terrible time at the club. This is very possible, nothing can be ruled out. However, this is Cristiano Ronaldo we are talking about; a 33 year old with the physical status of a young 20 something year old, the leading goal scorer for one of the world’s most historic clubs, the player with the second most La Liga goals of all time, the man tied for most Ballon d’Or wins at 5 with his rival Lionel Messi, the list goes on and on. It takes time for a player to settle into a new club, league, and fit into a new system. So fans should allow some time for that before they get angry at the transfer that broke records this summer. Aside from Juventus fans worried about the future that Ronaldo has at the club, plenty of soccer fans are finding it humorous that Ronaldo has yet to score. I am sure Real Madrid fans are pleased to see their ex star struggling to score for his new team. Let the man settle in before you critique his performance. For Juve fans, I find no reason to worry right now. For the rest of Europe, be afraid because Ronaldo will do what Ronaldo does best and that is win trophies.