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Comparing Cristiano Ronaldo’s 21-22 stats to Chelsea’s current forwards

Chelsea have sensationally been linked with Cristiano Ronaldo – but what would the Manchester United icon bring to Stamford Bridge?

Ronaldo is officially the most prolific goalscorer in the history of men’s professional football and even scored a respectable 24 goals in all competitions for a drastically ailing United outfit.

A goalscorer is something that Chelsea have arguably lacked during Thomas Tuchel’s time in charge of the club.

£100million man Romelu Lukaku was supposed to be the answer last summer but has since been sent back on loan to Inter after struggling to fit into Tuchel’s gameplan.

Following Lukaku’s departure and a recent takeover by American businessman Todd Boehly, Chelsea are expected to bolster their attacking options in the transfer market – but would Ronaldo fit the bill?

The 37-year-old Portugal international had his critics last season, with some suggesting his lack of pressing and mobility was part of the problem at Old Trafford.

Despite that, a recent report in The Athletic claimed that new owner Boehly recent met with superagent Jorge Mendes, who famously represents Ronaldo, and the prospect of the veteran goalscorer switching to United’s Premier League rivals was said to be discussed.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has since dismissed the chances of Ronaldo leaving Old Trafford this summer, but it would be a sensational story if it happened.

On the other hand, Ronaldo’s international team-mate Jose Fonte could see him leaving the Red Devils in order to play top-level European football – something United can’t offer, but Chelsea can.

“He’s the Champions League man, so there is always that possibility,” Fonte told talkSPORT.

“One thing that he has always mentioned is that he loves to play in the Champions League and unfortunately they [Manchester United] didn’t qualify. I don’t know what he has in his head, only he knows. What I do know is that he loves the Champions League. He is a Champions League player, and he wants to perform in that competition.”

Would the Portuguese forward improve Chelsea? Here’s how his Premier League stats in 2021-22 stacked up against Chelsea forwards Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi. We’ve also included Lukaku’s numbers, for reference.

Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo – 18
Kai Havertz – 8
Romelu Lukaku – 8
Christian Pulisic – 6
Timo Werner – 4
Hakim Ziyech – 4
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 1

Assists
Cristiano Ronaldo – 3
Hakim Ziyech – 3
Kai Havertz – 3
Christian Pulisic – 2
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 2
Timo Werner – 1
Romelu Lukaku – 0

Minutes per goal
Cristiano Ronaldo – 136.6
Romelu Lukaku – 198.3
Kai Havertz – 227.0
Christian Pulisic – 214.3
Timo Werner – 321.5
Hakim Ziyech – 329.3
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 966.0

Minutes per goal or assist
Cristiano Ronaldo – 117.0
Christian Pulisic – 160.8
Kai Havertz – 165.1
Hakim Ziyech – 188.1
Romelu Lukaku – 198.3
Timo Werner – 257.2
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 322.0

Chances created per 90 minutes
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 2.3
Hakim Ziyech – 2.1
Romelu Lukaku – 1.4
Cristiano Ronaldo – 1.0
Christian Pulisic – 1
Kai Havertz – 1
Timo Werner – 0.6

Successful dribbles per 90 minutes (success rate)
Hakim Ziyech – 1.9 (43.2%)
Christian Pulisic – 1.7 (42.5%)
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 1.5 (62.5%)
Kai Havertz – 0.9 (42.9%)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 0.7
Romelu Lukaku – 0.7 (50.0%)
Timo Werner – 0.7 (30.4%)

READ: Comparing Man Utd’s record with and without Cristiano Ronaldo

Passes per 90 minutes (passing accuracy)
Hakim Ziyech – 43.2 (81.2%)
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 33.0 (85.3%)
Kai Havertz – 32.4 (81.3%)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 32.2 (81.9%)
Christian Pulisic – 30.6 (80.3%)
Timo Werner – 26 (78%)
Romelu Lukaku – 18 (72.9%)

Shots per 90 minutes (inside the penalty area)
Cristiano Ronaldo – 4.0 (2.9)
Hakim Ziyech – 3.6 (1.1)
Timo Werner – 3.1 (2.8)
Kai Havertz – 2.8 (2.4)
Romelu Lukaku – 2.4 (2.2)
Christian Pulisic – 2 (1.5)
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 1.7 (1.6)


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