Very Specific Football Question No.52: Is Cristiano Ronaldo getting enough sleep?

So far, this is not Cristiano Ronaldo’s greatest season. In fact, since he arrived at Real Madrid seven years ago, it his statistically his worst. Seven goals in 12 matches might sound like a respectable return for most men, but Cristiano is not most men. He is a 21st-century phenomenon who is used to scoring more goals than he plays games, and seven in 12 represents roughly a 50 per cent drop in productivity.

A decline is perhaps inevitable as the Portuguese superstar enters his 30s, but Cristiano would refute any suggestion that he is ageing physically. His lucrative new five-year contract at the Bernabeu, which will keep him in designer sunglasses up to the age of 36, indicates he has convinced Real that his value is eternal. The player stated this week that he intends to play into his forties, at least.

So if it’s not age, then what else could explain why Ronaldo is scoring less frequently than in previous seasons? The answer may lie hidden in his hugely successful social media accounts.

Cristiano is, by a very long way, the most popular sportsperson on Instagram. His 81 million followers are attracted by the regular stream of images that show Cristiano in unguarded moments during his daily life.

The appeal of these photos is that they not calculated or choreographed, but completely natural and spontaneous. Often Cristiano is not even aware they are being taken.

But by allowing us this privileged window into his world, Cristiano may have unwittingly revealed the reason behind his falling strike rate, with recent images posted to his Instagram feed raising serious questions about the quality of sleep he is getting.

Concerns were sparked last week when the 31-year-old was captured dozing off in a large white chair wearing a pair of mottled trousers.

Although the chair looked large enough to facilitate a horizontal position, Cristiano had instead got himself into an uncomfortable tangle that promised to wreak havoc with his neck when he awoke.

It’s the kind of unnatural sleeping stance familiar to anyone who has nodded off on the sofa while watching Storage Hunters repeats after sinking three post-work pints. Ronaldo’s tensed stomach muscles and one bulging bicep also hint at anxious dreams beneath the surface – possibly of defeats to Barcelona or Gareth Bale winning the Ballon d’Or.

But if that photo suggested a man afflicted by mild drowsiness, an image posted on Instagram three days later exposed the true and terrifying extent of Ronaldo’s sleep deprivation.

In an intensely raw personal moment captured on camera, Ronaldo appears to seek an impromptu moment’s rest among some flowers.

Evidently believing that he is hidden from view beneath the undergrowth, Ronaldo falls into a deep sleep – again in a position that puts undue strain on his neck and shoulder muscles and could potentially hamper his famed aerial ability on the pitch.

It is hard not to feel sympathy for Ronaldo in this vulnerable state. His extreme exhaustion is highlighted by the fact that he has removed his trousers but not his jacket, presumably because fatigue overcame him halfway through undressing.

It is a relief that Cristiano was at least able to find a cushion to rest on. It’s unclear whether he chose this particular patch of grass because there was a pillow already there, or if he carries it around with him at all times due to being in a state of near-permanent tiredness.

In fact, these are not the only two examples of Ronaldo’s sleep issues. The first warning signs appeared at the end of last season, when he appeared to drift off while doing a workout at the gym.

He subsequently managed to get himself through a Champions League final and a Euro 2016 tournament on pure adrenaline, but his insomnia now appears to be catching up with him.

With his new Madrid contract now signed and sealed, one hopes that the world’s former second-best footballer can put this troubled period behind him and start achieving a more regular sleep pattern – and therefore score more goals.

Because if he carries on grabbing naps wherever and whenever he can, it will only be a matter of time before he falls asleep during a match or, worse still, while moisturising.

And if you still aren’t convinced that this could ruin Ronaldo’s legacy, then just check out what Lionel Messi has been doing.

That is textbook sleeping.

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