Cristiano Ronaldo and speed have gone hand in hand for a long time. It has always been a massive part of his game. The step-overs have come and gone, the goal scoring has gotten immensely better, but throughout it all Ronaldo’s speed has been there.
Barcelona didn't have to twist the knife. But they did.
Leading Real Madrid 3-0 in the Bernabeu, and making a powerful statement in the first Clasico of the year, the Blaugrana could have easily killed the game off and returned to Catalonia the triumphant victors, the clear favorites in La Liga and the masters of El Clasico.
Real Madrid have lost only two games in all competitions this season. They sit atop their Champions League group (one that includes Paris Saint-Germain) and they’ve plundered 33 goals while conceding only 11. Their combined goal difference in La Liga and the Champions League is a resounding +22.
And yet, such is the nature of the beast in the Santiago Bernabéu, all is certainly not right in Madrid.
All eyes will be on Spain as the world’s biggest club football match is played on Saturday. The first El Clasico of the season will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid hosts Barcelona.
What makes a rivalry? Does it have to be fueled by hate, or could a rivalry just be the acts of greatness shown by the two involved, where each pushes the other to reach heights they may have never achieved without that competitive adversary? In the NBA, Magic Johnson had Larry Bird; in the NFL, Peyton Manning has Tom Brady; tennis has Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer. Right now in the world of soccer Lionel Messi has Cristiano Ronaldo.
Injured shoulder? Psh. This Sergio Ramos bicycle kick shows that the Madrid captain care more about scoring epic golazo's then some ailing shoulding. Ramos had already missed six games due to the injury and has played in a handful of matches (Atlético, Celta, Sevilla and Champions League games against PSG) thanks to taking cortisone shots before matches. That only makes this goal more badass considering Ramos the fact that it sounds like Ramos should is about to fall off.
He was the man of the match when Real Madrid claimed “La Decima” over arch-rivals Atletico Madrid. With him, Los Merengues won two Copa del Rey titles, one Supercopa de Espana, the 2011-12 La Liga title, and the 2014 UEFA Super Cup. Yet, Argentine international Angel Di Maria said he was forced out of Madrid in order to cover costs.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Careless Whisper in the ear of PSG coach Laurent Blanc has received a lot of attention this week.
To hear the press tell it, there is no way Cristiano whispered anything other than "I will totally force a move to PSG this summer and then we can use the oil money to take over the world. Of European football."
Of course, the chances of him actually having whispered that are slim to none. We, personally, do not believe Ronaldo whispered anything of the sort.
French International Karim Benzema is in the custody of French police on Wednesday and being held for questioning regarding his alleged involvement in a blackmail attempt on Olympique Lyonnais winger Mathieu Valbuena, according to ESPN.
July 14, 2012 marked the first-team debut of a 13-year-old kid from Drammen, Norway. Since then, the world has been witness to the record-breaking career of one of soccer’s fastest rising stars: Martin Ødegaard.