How Cristiano Ronaldo broke David de Gea's confidence, football fans point out

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, once touted as one of the best in the world between the sticks, has seen a steep decline in his form this season. The Spanish shot-stopper has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons of late, often committing mistakes that are ill expected of a player of his stature. While a number of supporters have tried to pinpoint where it all went wrong for De Gea, some fans have chalked the blame down to Juventus ace Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Cristiano Ronaldo to blame for De Gea decline?

De Gea was on the receiving end of criticism after his poor performance against Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-final this week. The Spaniard conceded thrice, two of which were rather egregious errors for a stopper as talented as De Gea. His sub-par form has compelled rumours of his replacement with the arrival of Dean Henderson back from Sheffield United. However, fans believe that Spain vs Portugal tie in FIFA WC 2018 was where it all started to go wrong for the Man United star. 

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Fans recall Cristiano Ronaldo's performance against De Gea

Spain vs Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo scores thrice past De Gea in FIFA WC 2018

Portuguese superstar Ronaldo and De Gea came up against each other in the FIFA WC 2018 that was held in Russia. In that game, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner struck thrice past the Man United goalkeeper, his first hat-trick in the competition. Spain vs Portugal ended in a draw, with the two teams scoring thrice past each other, but it was Ronaldo who emerged as the ultimate player in the game. 

Ronaldo scored the opener from the spot after he was brought down inside the penalty area by former Real Madrid teammate Nacho Fernandez. De Gea failed to predict the kick despite following skipper Sergio Ramos' advice. Still, Spain's Diego Costa levelled the scores in the 24th minute before De Gea committed a blunder while attempting to stop a low-lying shot from Ronaldo just before half-time to make it 2-1 for Portugal. 

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Cristiano Ronaldo scores a splendid free-kick past De Gea 

However, Spain fought back in the second half with Diego Costa bagging his second goal of the night, followed by a stunner from Nacho, to make it 3-2 for Spain. Fernando Hierro's side were heading for a victory in Spain vs Portugal tie when Ronaldo emerged onto the scene yet again. The Portuguese icon scored a sensational free-kick leaving De Gea unmoved to equalise for his side. This moment, fans suggest, brought De Gea's morale down between the sticks, in turn affecting his form ever since. 

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Image courtesy: AP