Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo isn't having a great start to the season, as stats in the Champions Leagueshow that the Portuguese forward isn't faring all that well in front of goal, especially when compared to his arch-rival and Barcelona legendLionel Messi.
Ronaldo won the Champions League with Madrid at the end of last season, and followed that up with a Euro 16 triumph with Portugal.
However, the forwardsuffered a nasty injury in the final against France which could be the cause for his recentdownturn in form.
The three time Ballon d'Or winner isn'tgetting any younger either, and will turn 32 in three months time. Mid-thirties is when most players tend to deteriorate and it remains to be seen whether Ronaldo can keep performingat the highest level for many years longer.
Revealingly, Ronaldo has taken 28 shots in Champions League action, but has just two goals to his name,leaving him with a poor conversion rate of 7.1 per cent.
Messi, meanwhile, has taken only 12 shots in Europe, but has scored seven goals from his attempts, giving the Argentine an impressiveconversion rate of 58.3 per cent.
Shot conversion percentage between Messi and Ronaldo in the @ChampionsLeague this season:
Messi - 58.3%
Ronaldo - 7.1% pic.twitter.com/9EgfqVgq65
To Ronaldo's credit, Messi is two years his junior, but the evergreen Argentine seems to be approaching his thirties with grace and Cristiano will need to recover fast to prove he isn't headed for a steady decline.