It could be so far as early as March, in the next international match period. In games against football dwarfs like Azerbaijan or Luxembourg, Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo has the chance to decisively improve his proud record of 102 goals in 170 games for the national team – so far that Ali Daei’s seemingly eternal record of 109 goals, scored in “only” 149 games between 1993 and 2006 will be wiped out.

“No one deserves my record more than he does,” the Iranian pays homage to his potential successor in advance. “He is without a doubt the best footballer of all time. I am convinced that there is a reward for those who work hard and determined, so it would be a decent reward for him.”

In the kicker interview (next Monday’s edition), the former Bundesliga professional (19 goals in 107 appearances for Arminia Bielefeld, FC Bayern, and Hertha BSC from 1997 to 2002) speaks about his time as the first Iranian player in the first division, which he was in the 1997/98 season together with his compatriots Karim Bagheri and Khodadad Azizi. “I not only played in Germany, I also lived there. And as a young person, I learned every day, curious about what I was like.”

Daei, now 51 years old, also tells of strange stories: rumors about his death after a car accident and the reason why he once did not want to sit next to ex-president Ahmadinejad on a flight. After a few stations as a coach (including as a national coach in Iran), there was last contact to England, where a post may be waiting at Everton, the club of his compatriot and majority owner Farhad Moshiri there. Direct talks about this should take place when the pandemic situation allows again.

Daei, who studied metallurgy, had built up other professional pillars in Iran, for example a company for sportswear. “Then came the international sanctions against our country. Now I am a partner in an insurance company and in the steel industry.”

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“It’s impossible to completely stifle Ronaldo, we can only stop him as a team,” Bayern defender Jerome Boateng said on Monday.

“An attacker can not be more complete than him — left foot, right foot, head, he controls everything and in front of the goal, he’s a machine”.

But while Ronaldo has enjoyed a fresh spurt in his new role of predatorial centre-forward, his two partners have found their responsiblities reduced ahead of the first leg at the Allianz Arena.

Bale’s decline began first. After returning from injury earlier this year, he was on the bench for both legs against Paris Saint-Germain and the first leg against Juventus.

In the second leg, he did start, only to endure the humiliation of being taken off at half-time.

Benzema’s fall has been more surprising given the striker had been Zinedine Zidane’s preferred partner for Ronaldo, his work rate and supply highly valued despite the Frenchman’s lack of goals.

But Benzema’s link-up play has slackened, thrusting that dry patch — one goal in 10 games and only four in 24 — more clearly into view.

– ‘A little blip’ –

“He does suffer a little bit, when he misses chances he suffers but the solution is easy,” Zidane said. “He has to keep working. It is just a little blip he is in at the moment.”

Bale and Benzema’s dip has coincided with Ronaldo’s golden run, a parallel that may not be entirely coincidental.

Ronaldo in a Real team centred on playing to his strengths is nothing new, but as the Portugese has grown narrower in his scope, perhaps his team-mates have had to sharpen their focus in providing service to him.

Zidane has often deployed 4-4-2 in the biggest games this season, with Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio preferred on the flanks for their defensive discipline and willingness to send crosses into the box.

Bale is not viewed as conscientious enough in the wide midfielder role while Benzema’s key selling point was his link-up play. When that broke down, his appeal diminished.

“I don’t see anyone looking sad,” Zidane said. “I said to the pair of them the other day, they would both like to score more goals but everyone is working well.

“It is always going to happen in a side like ours, there are players in good form and in the team and playing well.”

Even if Isco is selected, it means Real are likely to line up with one of their more modest-looking attacks for a crunch Champions League tie.

“I’m not worried,” Zidane said last week. “It’s true that in the last two games we have had chances and we have not taken them but now we are going to have a game on Wednesday away from home.

“We are going to try to score and what we have to do is to think positively and realise that this is football anything can happen, no matter who is playing on the pitch.”

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