Cristiano Ronaldo is suffering his annual Real Madrid January dip – by his own brilliant standards – as his usual goals-to-game ratio of 1.03 drops to 0.6 in the New Year
The La Liga leaders have lost their last two games - in the Spanish league and Cup - and Ron never usually likes this month in Madrid
CRISTIANO RONALDO is one of the most devastating finishers we have seen and his spell at Manchester United proved he can do it on rough-and-tumble nights in Stoke but he has a weak spot in Spain.
The Real Madrid ace almost always has a dramatic drop in form through January and this worrying start to 2017 looks like shaping up similarly.
By almost any other footballer’s standards, Ron makes marvellous starts to the New Year but - by his own super-human levels – he often has a stinker until February comes around.
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The genius usually averages 1.03 goals per game – unbelievable work that has earned him team and individual gongs galore – but in January his average drops dramatically to 0.6.
He did have one super Jan back in 2013 - when he netted seven in four - but he generally suffers a slide, which sounds crazy when you talk about a freak of football with 382 Real Madrid goals in 370 matches.
2009-10 Games 0: goals : 0
An Ankle injury kept Ronaldo out of action between December 8, 2009 and February 13, 2010.
2010-11 - Games 5: Goals: 5
In his first full January in Madrid he got off to a flyer with two on January 3 in the 3-2 La Liga win over Getafe.
And he followed that up with trademark brilliance and a hat-trick in next game, a 4-2 league win over Villarreal.
Then went three games without scoring; a disappointing 1-1 draw with Almeria, a narrow 1-0 win over Mallorca and a shock 1-0 loss to Osasuna.
2011-12 Games: 5 Goals: 5
The former Man United man started slowly but finished with a fine flurry.
On Jan 7, his first game of the new year, he grabbed a solitary goal in the 5-1 demolition of Granada at the Bernabeu.
After a quiet game against Mallorca, Ron ran riot with four goals in his final three goals before Feb.
The icon scored a consolation in the 2-1 loss to Barcelona, a brace in the 4-1 win over Athletic Bilbao and a single in the 3-1 win over Real Zaragoza.
2012-13 Games: 4 Goals: 7
Just six days into January and the star grabbed a double in the win over Real Sociedad.
And 14 days later he did it again in the 5-0 win over Valencia.
And seven days later he hit a hat-trick in the 4-0 win over Getafe.
He cooled off for the Copa Del Rey draw with Barca and stayed off the scoresheet.
2013-14 Games: 4 Goals: 4
No resolution needed as Ronaldo grabbed a brace in the 3-0 win over Celta Vigo.
A terrible lull – buy his outrageous standards – meant he failed to score against Espanyol.
But he grabbed a goal apiece in the wins over Real Betis and Granada.
2014-15 Games: 6 Goals: 4
Ronaldo's busiest month had half-a-dozen games, four goals, one yellow card and a red to cap it all off. There were goals in games against Valencia, Atletico Madrid and Getafe.
But, in the final league match of the month, he went goalless and was sent off on 82 minutes.
2015-16 Games: 5 Goals: 5
Too many mince pies and Baileys probably wrecked Ron’s fitness over the Christmas as he went the first two games of the year without scoring.
Game three was lucky as he bagged two in the 5-1 win over Sporting Gijon but game five was another fallow spell.
Espanyol felt his wrath on January 31, however, when he blasted three past them in a 6-0 romp.
2016-17 Games: 3 Goals: 2
Real’s amazing run has come to a crushing halt with defeats in the last two games.
But Ronaldo has still kept his stats up.
One goal in the 5-0 win over Granada looked like the perfect start to 2017 but Madrid then lost to Seville and Celta Vigo with Ron notching against Celta.