Cristiano Ronaldo May Be Butt In La Liga, But He's Still Good In The Champions League

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo ranks second in La Liga in shots taken per 90 minutes. Ahead of him is some dude named Andrew Hjulsager, who has made two substitute appearances for Celta Vigo. In that time Hjulsager has amassed 12 minutes and fired off a single shot, giving him a 7.5 shots-per-90 rate. Adjusting the playing time parameters for anyone who’s been on the pitch for at least 13 minutes, then, and Ronaldo’s 6.8 attempts per 90 is the most in the league.

Ronaldo decidedly does not lead La Liga in scoring, however. Of those 6.8 shots per 90, or 67 in total, only a paltry two of his attempts on goal have found the back of the net. One of his two goals was even a rebound off a penalty kick he’d just taken and seen the keeper save. Suffice it to say that two goals in 10 matches—a shot conversion rate of a little under three percent—is pretty damn bad.

But hey, it’s not all doom and gloom for Ronaldo and his legion of superfans. While he’s definitely played like ass in league play (and to be fair it’s not like his teammates have done much to support him, as this curiously misfiring Madrid bunch is already on the precipice of falling out of the running for the league title and it’s only December), he’s still balling out in the Champions League. Just today he bombed in this outside-the-box beauty:

That strike gives him a UCL-leading nine goals in six matches. And as the above tweet mentions, he has become the first player ever to score in every match of the Champions League group stage.

So Ronaldo (probably) is not washed (yet). Just thoroughly rinsed.