Cristiano Ronaldo Addresses Real Madrid Squad, Thanks Team-Mates for Support

Cristiano Ronaldo has thanked his team-mates in the aftermath of Real Madrid’s emphatic 6-0 win over Espanyol, a match in which the Portuguese star bagged an impressive five goals.  

The haul from the Los Blancos forward means he’s now the all-time top scorer in La Liga in Real’s distinguished history, and although he’s often considered to be an individualistic footballer, according to Santiago Siguero of Marca, he addressed the dressing room and dedicated the quintet of strikes to them at training in the following days:

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The Real Madrid changing room were there for their teammate during his seven-game goal drought, which was brought to an end in the most spectacular fashion at the Power8 Stadium. With the support that he had received during his dry spell in mind - which, particularly for a man with Ronaldo's competitive streak, can have been far from easy for him - CR7 was quick to show his appreciation to his teammates.

Prior to taking to the training field, the Portuguese star addressed the rest of the squad, dedicating his goal haul to them: "Those five goals are yours too”.

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While none of the five goals scored by Ronaldo were particularly spectacular, it’s a measure of the Portuguese’s razor-sharp instincts in the penalty area that he was there to finish off so many neat passing moves. With that considered, his team-mates certainly played a critical role in Ronaldo’s rout.

But as we can see here, courtesy of WhoScored.com, getting on the scoresheet five times in one match is no fluke for this remarkable footballer:

It’s encouraging to hear Ronaldo dishing praise out to his team-mates, too. So often in matches when he isn’t getting the service the Portuguese can occasionally cut a frustrated figure, and he has no issue letting those around him know his feelings.

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It’s important to keep team morale high, though, and while Ronaldo grabbed the headlines for his incredible goalscoring feat, on the day, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Isco and Marcelo were all key contributors to an excellent all-round performance from the La Liga giants.

As the Daily Mirror’s Ed Malyon noted during the game, the performance of Bale in particular was really encouraging, even if he didn’t get on the scoresheet:

Ultimately, if the team is confident, Ronaldo will get more chances and score more goals. So as Madrid’s talisman and one of the senior figures in the club’s dressing room, there is an onus on him to keep morale high. Sticking the ball in the back of the net is certainly the best way of doing that, as is lauding those players making the opportunities for him.

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But Madrid need more of their players to be in form other than Ronaldo if they’re to challenge for major honours this season. Let's not forget, the No. 7 scored 48 La Liga goals last season, and Los Blancos didn’t come close to winning the title, per WhoScored.com; the early signs under new manager Rafa Benitez suggest the collective is in much better shape this time around.