Ronaldo : style of playing

Style of play

A versatile attacker, Ronaldo is capable of playing on either wing as well as through the centre of the pitch,[373] and, while ostensibly right-footed, is very strong with both feet.[374] He ranks among the world's fastest footballers, both with and without the ball.[375] Tactically, Ronaldo has undergone several evolutions throughout his career. While at Sporting and during his first season at Manchester United, he was typically deployed as a traditional winger on the right side of midfield, where he regularly looked to deliver crosses into the penalty area. In this position, he was able to use his pace and acceleration, agility, and technical skills to take on opponents in one-on-one situations. Ronaldo became noted for his dribbling and flair, often displaying an array of tricks and feints,[375][376] such as the step overs and so-called 'chops' that became his trademark;[377] he has also been known to use the flip–flap.[378]



Ronaldo controlling the ball on his chest during a 2010–11 La Liga game against Almería. At his peak, he was known for his exceptional speed and athleticism.[379]

As Ronaldo matured, he underwent a major physical transformation, developing a muscular body type that allows him to retain possession of the ball, and strong legs that make for an outstanding jumping ability.[380] His strength and jumping ability, combined with his elevation, heading accuracy, and height of 1.87 m (6 ft 1 1⁄2 in), give him an edge in winning aerial challenges for balls. These attributes allow him to function as a target-man, and make him an aerial goal threat in the penalty area; consequently, many of his goals have been headers.[381][382][383] Allied with his increased stamina and work-rate, his goalscoring ability improved drastically on the left wing where he was given the positional freedom to move into the centre to finish attacks. He also increasingly played a creative role for his team, often dropping deep to pick up the ball, participate in the build-up of plays, and create chances for his teammates, courtesy of his good vision and passing ability.[375][381]

In his final seasons at United, Ronaldo played an even more attacking and central role, functioning both as a striker and as a supporting forward, or even as an attacking midfielder on occasion.[384] He developed into a prolific goalscorer, capable of finishing well both inside the penalty area and from distance with an accurate and powerful shot, courtesy of his striking ability.[381][384][385] An accurate penalty kick taker,[386] he also became a set piece specialist, renowned for his powerful, bending free kicks,[387] though his ability in this regard deteriorated later on in his career.[388][389] When taking free kicks, Ronaldo is known for using the knuckleball technique, which had previously been popularised by Juninho Pernambucano;[390] he also adopts a trademark stance before striking the ball, which involves him standing with his legs far apart.[391] Regarding Cristiano Ronaldo's unique style of taking free kicks, former Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan has commented: "People used to put the ball down, walk away, run up and hit it. He brought in a more dynamic showmanship. He places the ball down, the concentration level is high, he takes his certain amount of steps back so that his standing foot is in the perfect place to hit the ball in the sweet spot. He is the ultimate showman. He has that slight arrogance. When he pulls those shorts up and shows his thighs, he is saying 'All eyes on me' and this is going in. He understands the marketing side of it. The way he struts up and places it; the world is watching him."[392]



As Ronaldo entered his thirties he began to dribble less.[393]

At Real Madrid, Ronaldo continued to play a more offensive role, while his creative and defensive duties became more limited, although not entirely diminished.[384] Initially deployed as a centre forward by managers Manuel Pellegrini and José Mourinho, he was later moved back onto the left wing, though in a free tactical role; this position allowed him to drift into the centre at will to get onto the end of crosses and score, or draw out defenders with his movement off the ball and leave space for teammates to exploit.[381][394][395][396][397] Madrid's counter-attacking style of play also allowed him to become a more efficient and consistent player, as evidenced by his record-breaking goalscoring feats. However, while he mainly drew praise in the media for his prolific goalscoring, he also demonstrated his ability as an effective creator in this role.[398][399][400] This unique role has been described by pundits as that of a "false," "attacking," or "goalscoring winger," as Ronaldo effectively almost functioned as a striker at times with his central runs into the penalty area, despite actually playing on the left flank.[394][401][402][403] From 2013 onwards, under manager Carlo Ancelotti, he effectively adapted his style to the physical effects of ageing with increasingly reduced off the ball movement and general involvement, completing fewer dribbles and passes per game, and instead focusing on short-distance creating and goalscoring.[377][396][404][405] Since 2017, Ronaldo has adapted his style of play yet again to become more of a free-roaming centre forward under manager Zinedine Zidane, a role in which he continued to excel and maintain a prolific goalscoring record; in this position, he earned praise in the media for his intelligent movement both on and off the ball, his excellent positional sense, link-up play, clinical finishing, and his opportunism, as well as his ability to lose or anticipate his markers, find space in the box, and score from few touches or opportunities.[406][407][408][409]

In his first season at Juventus, Ronaldo continued to play in a variety of different attacking roles under manager Massimiliano Allegri, depending on whom he was partnered with. While he had occupied an increasingly offensive role in his final years at Real Madrid, at times he functioned in a free role at Juventus, either as a lone striker or in his trademark role on the left wing, in a 4–2–3–1 or 4–3–3 formation, in which he often switched positions with Mario Mandžukić. In this role, he was also given licence to drop deep or even out wide onto the right flank in order to receive the ball, and be more involved in the build-up of plays; as such, aside from scoring goals himself, he began to take on opponents and create chances for other players with greater frequency than he had in his final seasons with Real Madrid. Off the ball, he was also capable of creating space for teammates with his movement and attacking runs into the box, or finishing off chances with his head or feet by getting onto the end of his teammates' crosses.[410][411] On occasion he also played in an attacking partnership alongside Mandžukić in a 4–3–1–2, 4–4–2, or 3–5–2 formation.[412][413][414] He continued to play a similar role in his second season with the club under manager Maurizio Sarri.[411]