Ranking Cristiano Ronaldo's 5 worst calendar year performances

Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United this summer
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United this summer

#3 2005 — 15 goals

In his second season at Old Trafford, a young Ronaldo cemented his place among a handful of veterans
In his second season at Old Trafford, a young Ronaldo cemented his place among a handful of veterans

Walking down memory lane, the year 2005 is when the world started to see a boy named Cristiano Ronaldo proving to be more than a 'wunderkind'.

In his second season at Old Trafford, a young Cristiano Ronaldo cemented his place among some of the best players from around Europe. Under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, Cristiano Ronaldo evolved to be a mature and more complete player within a short span of time.

The then 20-year old Ronaldo was ready to take on the world and play as a supporting factor in his club and national team's attacking units. Cristiano Ronaldo wreaked havoc down the left flank. He was known to beat any number of defenders to slot the ball dangerously into the box.

While still earning name and fame as a lively player, in 2005 we saw Ronaldo net just 15 times for club and country.


#2 2004 — 13 goals

Back in 2004 Ronaldo was still getting used to intensity of the iconic Premier League
Back in 2004 Ronaldo was still getting used to intensity of the iconic Premier League

As mentioned before, the Manchester United man's numbers rarely saw a dip. With each year and season, Ronaldo has only raised his bar and the same has always been reflected on his stats sheet as well.

For us to see Cristiano Ronaldo's poor performances (only in terms of numbers), we will have to roll back a few years. All the way until the start of his career. Not to forget that Cristiano Ronaldo's poor performance is only by his own standards. If compared with other players, there is no doubt Ronaldo's worst would still be at par or even better than their best.

Back in 2004, the Madeira-native was still getting used to all the glitter, glory and intensity of the iconic league called the Premier League. It didn't take him much time to adapt to the fast-paced football in England. But it did take time for Ronaldo to become a regular scorer.

It was also the year when Cristiano Ronaldo played competitive international fixtures for the first time. He scored seven goals of Portugal that year alone.


#1 2003 — 1 goal

Cristiano Ronaldo was promoted to the senior side in 2003 at the age of 18
Cristiano Ronaldo was promoted to the senior side in 2003 at the age of 18

To find Cristiano Ronaldo's worst calendar year performance, we had to go all the way to the roots, the very starting point of his senior career.

From being a talented young kid at Sporting Lisbon's academy, Cristiano Ronaldo was promoted to the senior side in 2003 at the age of 18. He was still getting the hang of professional senior football. He was roped in by Sir Alex Ferguson to be a part of the dream team right after his sole senior season with Sporting Lisbon.

Ronaldo couldn't contribute much that year in terms of goal scoring. He scored just one for Sporting and was yet to make a senior appearance for the national side.

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Edited by Aditya Singh
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