How Cristiano Ronaldo has performed under 11 club managers

Planet Football • 19 Nov 2021

Having established himself as one of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo has unsurprisingly worked with some brilliant managers.

Since breaking into the Sporting Lisbon first team in 2002, Ronaldo has played under 11 different bosses at club level and scored nearly 700 goals.

Using data from transfermarkt, we’ve taken a look at the forward’s record in all competitions under those 11 managers.

As the stats show, Ronaldo enjoyed his most prolific spells while working under Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho at Real Madrid.

The Portugal international remarkably averages at least one goal every 120 minutes under eight of these managers, only failing to do so with Laszlo Baoloni, Sir Alex Ferguson and Massimiliano Allegri.

Laszlo Boloni

Games: 31
Starts: 14
Sub appearances: 17

Goals: 5
Assists: 6

Penalties scored: 0

Minutes per goal: 284.2
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 284.2
Minutes per goal or assist: 129.1

Sir Alex Ferguson

Games: 292
Starts: 244
Sub appearances: 48

Goals: 118
Assists: 73

Penalties scored: 17

Minutes per goal: 189.8
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 221.8
Minutes per goal or assist: 117.2

READ: An ode to Cristiano Ronaldo’s best goal for Man Utd that no one talks about

Manuel Pellegrini

Games: 35
Starts: 33
Sub appearances: 2

Goals: 33
Assists: 12

Penalties scored: 4

Minutes per goal: 88.3
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 100.5
Minutes per goal or assist: 64.7

Jose Mourinho

Games: 164
Starts: 156
Sub appearances: 8

Goals: 168
Assists: 49

Penalties scored: 30

Minutes per goal: 84.9
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 103.4
Minutes per goal or assist: 65.7

1) Team first, individuals second.

Despite Cristiano Ronaldo being a winger, Jose Mourinho started him at the 9 position in the 2011 Copa del Rey final against Barcelona.

Why? “It was better for the team.”

The result?

Ronaldo scored the game winning goal in extra time. pic.twitter.com/XkAobrFAdq

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) November 3, 2020

Carlo Ancelotti

Games: 101
Starts: 99
Sub appearances: 2

Goals: 112
Assists: 47

Penalties scored: 23

Minutes per goal: 77.9
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 98
Minutes per goal or assist: 54.9

Rafael Benitez

Games: 24
Starts: 24
Sub appearances: 0

Goals: 25
Assists: 8

Penalties scored: 6

Minutes per goal: 86.4
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 113.6
Minutes per goal or assist: 65.4

READ: 17 of the best quotes on CR7: ‘He could score on a wheelchair’

Zinedine Zidane

Games: 114
Starts: 112
Sub appearances: 2

Goals: 112
Assists: 30

Penalties scored: 16

Minutes per goal: 90
Minutes per non-penalty goal: 105
Minutes per goal or assist: 71

😱😱😱 Cristiano Ronaldo's amazing effort against Juventus in 2018…@realmadriden | #UCL https://t.co/Fla9IXkahv pic.twitter.com/l52uICHsSF

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) October 9, 2020