In one way, 2014 might have been the most disappointing year in Cristiano Ronaldo's career. After four seasons in a row of scoring 30 or more goals in the Spanish La Liga (and 50 or more overall, with all cup and European play included), Ronaldo was expected to figure greatly into the outcome of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Not only did analysts think the star striker would drive the Portugal national team to a high finish in the tournament, but some were also wondering whether or not he might take the Golden Ball award. Needless to say, all the speculation sparked popularity for Ronaldo merchandise.
Ultimately, a knee injury derailed all of those hopes for Cristiano, keeping him from scoring enough to contend for the Golden Boot, and resulting in the early elimination of his team. Still, the World Cup disappointment hasn't dimmed the furor and fandom. On the contrary, at Soccer Box, one of our most popular items is the Ronaldo 7 Real Madrid home shirt 2014 2015, while other player-specific merchandise also flies off the shelves.
One of the reasons that the popularity of Ronaldo merchandise hasn't dimmed is that Cristiano hasn't allowed the disappointments in Brazil to get to him. On the contrary, the 29-year-old striker returned to Real Madrid this fall with renewed vigor and has played one of his best seasons ever with the football club.
A Remarkable Ride
Indeed, the fall 2014 portion of the 2014 2015 La Liga has been a remarkable ride for Ronaldo. As of Real's December 20th home win over San Lorenzo, the squad finished with competitive play until 2015. Of 15 matches, they've won 13 and lost two. More impressive, they've scored 55 times-14 ahead of Barcelona, even though Barca has played one extra soccer match.
The jersey number 7 has made an appearance in 14 out of those 15 matches, either on the back of the Ronaldo 7 Real Madrid home shirt 2014 2015 or the bold pink away shirt. And in those 14 appearances, Ronaldo has scored 25 times-nearly an average of two per match.
To put those numbers in perspective, consider this: in his first season calling Real Madrid home (2009 2010), Cristiano made 29 appearances and netted 26 goals. The last two years, he's done 34 appearances and 34 points (2012 2013) and 30 apps/31 goals (2013 2014).
This year, he's nearly to those point totals and has managed the feat in fewer than half the matches. If he keeps up this pace, the 2014 2015 football season could end up being his best yet. No wonder Ronaldo merchandise is such a hot commodity!
Breaking Records
So what will Ronaldo have to do to break his personal records? La Liga seasons, of course, last 38 games, which means Real Madrid still have 23 left to play. If Ronaldo continues his current average of 1.79 goals per game, he will add another 41 points to his current total. That would bring about a total seasonal count of 66 points. And that's without even considering cup or European tournament play!
Such a number would easily outstrip Cristiano's best soccer performance on record: 2011 2012, when he delivered 46 goals in 38 appearances. More than that, it would handily beat the best season ever played by Lionel Messi, who scored 50 times in a single competitive La Liga run (also in 2011 2012).
Messi's 2011 2012 is currently the gold standard for remarkable football performance. Between his 50 league goals and his 23 extra points overall, he scored 73 times that year-the most ever in a single season. Hungarian footballer Ferenc Deak, meanwhile, achieved 66 points in league only back in the 40s-a number no one has approached since.
In other words, if Cristiano can continue to play like he has so far in 2014 2015, he could be on the way to the best football season ever played. So make sure to grab your Ronaldo 7 Real Madrid home shirt 2014 2015: one day, a shirt from this year with the jersey number 7 on it could be a valuable soccer collector's item.
