"They are now ahead of Barcelona" - Cristiano Ronaldo responds when asked about Real Madrid's poor start to the season

Cristiano Ronaldo has pointed out that Real Madrid are ahead of Barcelona in LaLiga in response to questions about his former team's poor start to the season. Los Blancos are currently second in the league table after 18 games, a point behind leaders Atletico Madrid. The reigning champions are also two points ahead of the Catalans, who have played a game more.

Real Madrid registered an indifferent start to the season, while Barcelona appeared to be running away with the title. However, the tables have turned of late, with Los Blancos in decent form. The Catalans, meanwhile, have won just once in their last five games in the league.

As cited by Madrid Xtra, Cristiano Ronaldo recently said that everyone expects the reigning champions to finish strongly.

“People don’t expect Real Madrid to be good at the beginning but in the end… they are now ahead of Barcelona,” said Ronaldo.

CR7 currently plies his trade with Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. The Portuguese forward moved to the Middle East after his contract with Manchester United was terminated following a controversial interview in November 2022.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has been in fine form since arriving at the Riyadh-based club but is yet to win the league. This season, Cristiano Ronaldo has registered 16 goals and three assists from 19 games across competitions.

---

How many goals has Cristiano Ronaldo scored against Barcelona for Real Madrid?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo spent nine seasons at Real Madrid, scoring 450 goals from 438 games, the most in the club's history. The Portuguese regularly came up with Barcelona and Lionel Messi during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu and added to El Clasico's rich history.

He arrived at the club in the summer of 2009 from Manchester United and went on to become Los Blancos' record goalscorer. He faced the Catalans on three occasions in the Champions League during his time at Old Trafford, winning one and losing one of those games.

Following his move to Spain, the Portuguese faced the Blaugrana more frequently. Ronaldo registered 30 appearances for Real Madrid against Barcelona in LaLiga, Copa Del Rey, Spanish Supercup as well as the Champions League.

He registered eight wins and 14 defeats against the Catalans during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, scoring 18 goals and setting up three more. The Portuguese left Los Blancos in the summer of 2018 to join Juventus and spent three seasons in Turin before returning briefly to Old Trafford.