Man United’s Cristiano Ronaldo going through first trophyless season in over a decade after Champions League exit

Manchester United will as soon as once more finish the season and not using a trophy after a 1-0 defeat towards Atletico Madrid in midweek noticed them dumped out of the Champions League‘s spherical of 16.

Having already been eradicated from the Carabao Cup and FA Cup within the third and fourth rounds respectively, United wanted to outscore Atleti at Outdated Trafford to maintain their imprecise hope of silverware alive. The house aspect have been unable to punch by way of the Rojiblancos barricade as a single headed objective from Renan Lodi was sufficient to ship the reigning LaLiga champions by way of to the quarterfinals.

– Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
– Haven’t got ESPN? Get instant access

Whereas it’s nonetheless mathematically attainable for United to win the Premier League title this season, with simply 9 video games left to play the chance of them overturning the 20-point hole between themselves and leaders Manchester City is slightly unlikely.

With Ralf Rangnick’s aspect now eradicated from all European and home cups, their solely remaining focus is a top-four league end. Even that’s removed from assured, on condition that Arsenal are occupying the ultimate Champions League qualification spot, sitting a degree above United and taking part in the primary of their three video games in hand on them towards Liverpool on Wednesday.

---

Ronaldo’s run involves an finish

In addition to all-but guaranteeing that United’s underwhelming 2021-22 marketing campaign will finish with none new silverware, the galling defeat towards Atleti signifies that serial champion Cristiano Ronaldo can be set to complete a season trophyless for the primary time in over a decade.

Ronaldo may have scored his 807th goal in professional football at the weekend, however towards Atletico he didn’t register a single shot on the right track — which hadn’t occurred when he had performed the entire of a Champions League match since Real Madrid‘s 2010-11 semifinal loss to Barcelona — and solely had seven touches of the ball within the closing half-hour of play.

It was candy revenge for Atletico, who had suffered elimination by the hands of a staff that includes Ronaldo within the 2013-14 closing, 2014-15 quarterfinals, 2015-16 closing, 2016-17 semifinals and 2018-19 spherical of 16.

With the possibility of a sixth style of Champions League glory slipping away, it’s now only a matter of time earlier than Ronaldo ends a season empty-handed for the primary time since 2009-10, his first yr at Actual Madrid.

Whereas his maiden marketing campaign following his then world-record £80 million switch to the Bernabeu didn’t bear fruit, the Portugal captain then gained at the very least one trophy per season for the subsequent 12 years, amassing a complete of 20 honours in all. That haul included 4 Champions Leagues, two UEFA Tremendous Cups, three FIFA Membership World Cups and 5 league titles break up between Actual and Juventus, who he joined in 2018.

In reality, two of these Champions Leagues (with Actual Madrid) and each of his Serie A titles (Juventus) have come since United final gained something of word, particularly the 2016-17 Europa League underneath Jose Mourinho.

Sadly it could seem that Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United has introduced that unbroken, silver-laden run of success to an finish within the house of only one season. Welcome again.

---

With Ronaldo drawing his first clean in 12 years, here’s a have a look at the final time a number of his elite contemporaries have been compelled to endure their final annus horribilis.

Lionel Messi (final trophyless season: 2019-20, Barcelona)

Messi gained a grand complete of 34 main trophies throughout his lengthy affiliation with Barcelona, although he did endure the occasional barren season between the huge waves of success. Certainly, you solely have to return to his penultimate season to seek out the final time Messi completed with none vital silverware to his title as Barca completed second in LaLiga behind Actual Madrid whereas additionally exiting the Champions League and Copa del Rey on the quarterfinal stage. Earlier than that, Messi endured two back-to-back trophyless campaigns at Camp Nou in 2006-07 and 2007-08, earlier than Pep Guardiola took cost and ushered in a brand new period of near-unbridled success with the younger Messi main his line.

Simply as his superhuman goal-scoring feats have been unwavering through the years, so has Lewandowski’s behavior of ending any given season with at the very least one main honour to his title. Whereas his first two seasons as a budding teenage professional in his residence nation didn’t yield any top-level silverware, a Polish Cup and Tremendous Cup double in his debut season with Lech Poznan in 2008-09 noticed Lewandowski declare the primary two of 25 main trophies in his profession. Since that time, the ceaselessly prolific striker has gained at the very least one trophy per season with a number of doubles, trebles and even spectacular quintuples (2019-20) following his free switch to Bayern Munich from Borussia Dortmund in the summertime of 2014.

After coming by way of the youth ranks as an electrifying prodigy at Monaco, Mbappe made his first-team debut for the Ligue 1 aspect in 2015-16, although needed to wait till the next season (2016-17) to win his first Ligue 1 title. Since then, the fleet-footed ahead has mustered at the very least one main title per season together with a formidable home quadruple — league title, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue (now defunct) and Trophee des Champions — with Paris Saint-Germain in 2019-20. Having already gained all there’s to win in his homeland by the age of 23, it stays to be seen whether or not Mbappe intends to strive his hand a bit additional afield subsequent season.

Neymar (2012-13, Santos)

After kicking off his mercurial profession with three league and cup doubles in three seasons at Santos, Neymar ran dry in his closing season in Brazil and failed so as to add any farewell silver to his burgeoning assortment earlier than departing for Barcelona. Since his transfer to Catalonia for the 2013-14 marketing campaign by way of to his time at Paris Saint-Germain, Neymar is but to complete a season with at the very least one main trophy within the bag, He has gained a Champions League and 5 league titles among the many 18 membership honours he is collected throughout virtually 9 years in European soccer, and PSG have such a commanding lead on the prime of the Ligue 1 desk this season that absolutely even they cannot lose it from right here.

Probably the most adorned footballers of the trendy age, Ibrahimovic has collected 33 trophies since he first went professional with Malmo approach again in 1999. Whereas the Champions League has eluded him, the Swede can declare to have gained top-tier league titles within the Netherlands (with Ajax), Italy (Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan), Spain (Barcelona) and France (Paris Saint-Germain) in addition to a number of different home and European cups. Given the size of his ongoing profession, the 40-year-old has naturally skilled his fair proportion of trophyless campaigns, having failed so as to add any trophies to his assortment since profitable the Europa League with Manchester United in 2016-17. That stated, he did embark on an epic run of success between 2003-04 and 2016-17 the place he gained a grand complete of 30 main trophies in 13 years with only one trophyless season (2011-12, his first at PSG proper at the beginning of their big-spending period) spoiling the streak.

Over a decade since he made his first-team debut, 375 appearances and 242 targets later, 28-year-old striker Kane continues to be but to win his first trophy as a Tottenham participant. The closest the England captain has ever come to breaking his unenviable duck is a handful of runner-up medals within the Champions League (2018-19) and the League Cup (2014-15 and 2020-21). Jeering apart, it ought to be stated that Kane’s profession hasn’t been totally devoid of silverware up to now: he gained Millwall’s Younger Participant of the 12 months award for 2011-12.