Study Finds Cristiano Ronaldo Is 'Immune' To Pressure, His Performance Level Remains The Same In 'Every Scenario Possible'

On Tuesday night, Cristiano Ronaldo proved yet again that he is the ultimate player for the big occasion.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner bagged a brace for Manchester United in their crucial Champions League clash against Atalanta, including a magnificent 91st-minute equaliser to help them retain top spot in Group F.

Nobody can question Ronaldo's impact at Old Trafford since his return. In fact, all seven of United's group-stage points in the Champions League have come as a result of his late strikes.

After the full-time whistle on Tuesday night, Rio Ferdinand said Ronaldo always steps up at the critical moment. He said: "In any country, in any stadium, at any time. He just arrives on the biggest occasions and delivers."

Ferdinand certainly has a point. Back in 2019, research conducted by sports analytics company SciSports found the 36-year-old striker wasn't like any other player in world football when it comes to these big moments.

SciSports teamed up with research university KU Leuven to study how much stress is a factor in key moments in football games.

They collected data from 7,000 minutes, analysing how performance levels are affected by in-game pressure and Ronaldo came out on top.

Portugal's captain is unsurprisingly "immune" to pressure, with his performance levels remaining the same in 'every scenario possible.'

Ronaldo

Image credit: PA

Another player who excels under pressure is Barcelona striker Sergio Aguero, who makes better decisions when on the ball, according to the study.

Perhaps that famous last-minute winner to seal the Premier League title against QPR proves that.

So who buckles under pressure?

According to research, Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar is "adversely affected by stress" in games, and so is Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard.

The Brazilian forward "makes poorer decisions under pressure," according to SciSports analyst Jan van Haaren, while Hazard is also affected by pressure, and often makes bad in-game decisions while in possession.

PA: Eden Hazard

Professor Jesse Davis, from the Department of Computer Science at KU Leuven, spoke about the research.

"Mental pressure has already been extensively studied in sports such as baseball and basketball, but in football, this is uncharted territory," he said.

"That's why we have developed a model that uses machine learning to estimate how much mental pressure is experienced by the player in possession of the ball.

"The model analyses how this player performs under pressure: which decision does he make, is the chosen action executed well and how much impact does the chosen action have on the outcome of the match?"

If you want to check out the research in full, go and check out the SciSports website.

Topics: Football, Manchester United, Champions League, Cristiano Ronaldo

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

@jackkenmare_