Bayern Munich Don't Have a Ronaldo, and That's What Makes Them so Strong

On the penultimate day of 2014, ex-Real Madrid, Schalke and Dortmund defender Christoph Metzelder made a very controversial statement: that Bayern Munich lack a player like Cristiano Ronaldo.

The 34-year-old is quoted by Goal.com as telling German magazine Kicker that "Bayern just don’t have a player like Ronaldo."

In context, Metzelder meant to portray this lack of a single, superlative superstar as a weakness. But in reality, it is actually one of Bayern's strengths.

There are many world superstars in the Bayern team: Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery, Mario Gotze, Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and more among them. But the "star" that shines brighter than all the individuals is the team. This is not the case in Madrid.

Ronaldo is so deified by media and the general public that even in the most expensively-assembled team of all-time, he is regarded as head-and-shoulders above the rest. Museums are built in his honor. Statues are erected with not-so-subtle crotch-bulges.

These are created for massaging the player's ego, but there becomes an acceptance that he is the standard of perfection, that he has no room to grow as a player and that his "supporting cast" will never be recognized even if they are the true difference-makers. The effects of such a club ethos are toxic, and even in such a star-studded team as Real, it can be fatal to the club's title aspirations.

Moreover, the acceptance that Ronaldo is Real's savior can put impossible pressure on his shoulders. He has a big ego and is not the type to admit when he cannot deliver; perhaps the standards are too high. Regardless of cause, the fact is that he turns 30 years of age in February and in the biggest games of his career has rarely been the best player on the pitch. More often than not, he's underwhelmed.

At Bayern, the environment is healthier for star players. Once upon a time, Robben took it upon himself to be the difference-maker in every major game. And to be fair, the Dutchman did manage to give some man-of-the-match performances to lift Bayern to titles. But he suffered setback after setback and missed out on some trophies because of it.

In 2010, he missed multiple opportunities to decide the World Cup final. In 2012, he missed a pair of penalties: one killed off any chance for Bayern to win the Bundesliga, and the other came in extra time in the Champions League final.

The repercussions for Robben were harsh, and in the fall of 2012 he was sent to the bench with the much less glamorous but much more effective Thomas Muller taking his spot in the Bayern lineup. This setback was tough for Robben to stomach—and was one that Ronaldo would never, ever have to face—but it forced him to adapt and ultimately made him a better player.

Robben was forced to become patient and to trust his teammates. And when the time came, as Toni Kroos sustained an injury early in the Champions League quarter-finals that would rule him of action for the rest of the season, the Dutchman came back a vastly improved player. He was a menace to both Juventus and Barcelona before assisting Bayern's opener in the final and scoring the goal that secured the trophy. It was the greatest and certainly most significant performance of his career, and it only came after adversity that had forced him to change.

To date, Ronaldo's shortcomings haven't been obvious enough for them to force him to change. When he missed a penalty in the 2008 Champions League final, John Terry bailed him out by slipping and missing the spot-kick that could have decided the title for Chelsea. When Portugal have fallen short, fans and press have blamed Ronaldo's teammates. When Ronaldo went missing in the 2014 Champions League final, Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale spared his blushes: The lasting impression of Ronaldo's performance is him taking off his shirt and screaming after converting a penalty that made the score 4-1 in the dying moments of extra time. He can still think he's good enough to do it all on his own and is still pressured to make the difference in every game.

Of course, Real managed to win the Champions League in May, hammering a tactically inept Bayern in the process. But still, it felt not that the burden was shared but rather that it was seized by Sergio Ramos, who scored the most crucial goals in the semi-finals and final. Ronaldo didn't celebrate when Gareth Bale netted the go-ahead goal in extra time of the final, and Angel di Maria (who was also heroic in that game) was offloaded not long thereafter: These two items speak volumes of who is in charge at Real and just how unhealthy the situation is for Ronaldo and company.

At Bayern, there are a wide range of superstars who have decided huge matches on their own. Robben in the 2013 Champions League final is a prime example, but Ribery was just as important in the very same match. Lewandowski put four goals past Ronaldo's Real to put a heavily unfavored Dortmund team in the Champions League final. Most recently, Gotze's winner in the World Cup final gave Germany their first major international title in 18 years.

Every week at Bayern, there isn't the expectation for any one player to score the needed goals, there is just the expectation that one player will find the target sooner or later. There are enough capable, proven players, and none is so selfish to feel disappointed if he isn't the one to deliver. One week, Muller nets a hat-trick; the next, Ribery sets up Lewandowski, Robben and Gotze. And that's fine for everyone, so long as it results in wins.

So, Metzelder is right, Bayern don't have a Ronaldo. And they're better for it.

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