Player of the Season nominees: Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring Real’s 2nd goal during the La Liga match between Real Madrid CF and Malaga CF at Santiago Bernabeu on May 8, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Getty Images)

Even though Lionel Messi has won four consecutive Ballon d’Or awards, the debate continues to rage on: who is the greatest of this generation – Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo?

But such is the ability of Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro that he is the only person in the world can challenge the supremacy of the little Argentinean.

Ronaldo fired on all cylinders last season but still couldn’t help his club win the Champions League – a trophy that has eluded the club for 11 years now. Los Blancos couldn’t even retain their La Liga title.

But one player that can’t be blamed for the lack of effort or commitment is Ronaldo. The no. 7 was at his brilliant best all season long but couldn’t find an able partner in crime to take Real to the next level.

Overview:

Ronaldo started the season from the get-go, by lifting the Supercopa de España; he scored two goals (one in each leg) in a 4-4 away goal aggregate win against arch rivals, Barcelona. In the process he became the first player in Real Madrid’s history to score in four consecutive El Clasico at the Camp Nou.

He kick-started his league campaign by scoring two past a hapless Grenada side in a 3-0 win. A goal against Rayo Vallecano embarked a spell of belligerent form, with Ronaldo scoring 13 goals in the next seven fixtures across all competitions, including a hat-trick against Deportivo and a brace against the Catalans.

This was followed by a lean spell, in which he scored only once in the next eight games, but he was back at his best in no time, slotting nine ‘golazos’ home in the eight successive fixtures. Hat-tricks against Getafe and Sevilla took his goal tally in the league to 24 in the 2012-13 season. A brace against Celta Vigo again started a spell of dazzling football, with him scoring ten in next seven across all competitions.

Although his side couldn’t even present a good challenge to the title winners, Ronaldo left no stone unturned, taking his tally to 34 goals in the league, 12 goals behind the league top-scorer, Messi and six goals ahead of the latest Monaco recruit, Radamel Falcao.

He might be behind Messi in the league, but Messi was no competition for him in the Champions League, where he scored 12 goals in ten games, finishing as the top-scorer. He scored six goals in the group stage, including a scintillating hat-trick against Dutch Champions, Ajax.

Cristiano Ronaldo reacts after scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second leg match between Manchester United and Real Madrid at Old Trafford on March 5, 2013 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Getty Images)

Even emotions couldn’t get the better of him as he scored in both legs of the round of 16 clash against former club, Manchester United to knock them out of the competition. He continued his scoring spree, slotting three more goals in a 5-3 aggregate win against the Turkish champions, Galatasaray, taking his side into the semi-finals single-handedly.

But this raging train was derailed emphatically in the semis by Borussia Dortmund (rather Robert Lewandowski), who went on to lose the trophy eventually to local rivals Bayern Munich.

Ronaldo was in spectacular form in the Copa Del Rey as well, scoring four goals in a 6-1 aggregate win against Celta Vigo in the round of 16, including a hat-trick in the second leg. He also scored twice in the second leg of the semi-final against Barcelona to steer his team into the final with a 4-2 aggregate win, where they lost to Atletico Madrid after a span of 14 years.

Ronaldo finished as the second highest goal scorer in the competition behind the Los Colchoneros’ Diego Costa who scored 8 goals, one more than the man in consideration.

‘The sultan of the stepover’ scored 55 goals in the 2012-13 season, including 5 hat-tricks, which by no means is a piece of cake and makes him an able contender for winning the Ballon d’Or. Interestingly, Ronaldo scored 19 right-footed, 16 left-footed, four free-kicks, seven penalties and nine headed goals.

What does the future hold?

Although he has two years remaining on his contract, he does not seem happy at the Bernabeu for the simple reason that despite all the hard-work and passion that CR7 beholds, the results are nowhere close to what both the parties expect.

Real Madrid Chairman, Florentino Perez will be looking to add some firepower alongside Ronaldo while keeping clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United at bay, who’ll try their best to reunite Ronaldo with his former club in a deal which will set both, the club and the player to the path of European supremacy.

On the contrary, if he decides to stay at the club, it will once again prove his mettle as a footballer with immense willpower, who doesn’t give up, no matter what the situation, as Madrid would look to end their Champions League drought and reclaim the league title from their arch-rivals.

Click here to view the rest of the Player of the Season nominees