Unless you have been living under a rock, you’ll know that Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United has been met by a lot of excitement from the club’s support and so far, it has been repaid by the 36-year-old forward.
Ronaldo’s second coming at United came against Newcastle two weeks ago, with the former Real Madrid and Juventus striker scoring twice against Steve Bruce’s side.
The euphoric brace at Old Trafford was followed by single-goal hauls against Young Boys and West Ham, capping off a brilliant first week back at the club he built his reputation at.
The goalscoring is a major plus but Ronaldo’s underlying stats prove that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank, with the Portugal international coming on top in three big categories.
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After the first six games of the season, statistical website Fbref has Ronaldo down as the division’s most frequent shooter, firing 5.67 shots per 90 minutes played, 0.82 shots per game ahead of Michail Antonio, his closest competitor.
They also detail his shots, with 2.33 shots per game going on target, 0.42 shots on target per game ahead of Ollie Watkins, his closest rival in that category.
Ronaldo has also accumulated the most Non-Penalty Expected Goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season (0.90), with Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin coming in at second place.
Clearly, the numbers disprove the argument that Ronaldo is anywhere near ‘over the hill’ as he continues to defy the odds.
