In sports, there are heroes and there are villains. Often, it depends on which team you root for that decides the “good guys” and the “bad guys.” For Barcelona fans, Real Madrid’s players have been a horde of vile and awful footballers for more than a century. Of course there have also been the defectors on both sides and going in both directions.
Although he won the Ballon d’Or for his work at Barcelona, Portuguese legend Luis Figo will never be forgiven by Cules for his move to Los Blancos and aiding in the rise of their “Galatico” era. Luis Enrique, meanwhile, made the switch in the opposite direction and forever endeared himself to the Camp Nou faithful. These controversial turncoats certainly churn the pot for the rivalry dating back to the days of Alfredo Di Stefano, who famously chose Barcelona but inexplicably became a legend at Real Madrid.
The latest chapter between the two Spanish clubs has been the now seven-year battle for best in the world between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both players have denied any such rivalry exists. Yet, when two players feature for two of the best clubs in the world that also have the history that they do, there should be no surprise that the media and fans assume that they keep tabs on the other one’s success.
The global media has done their job to improve the narrative by highlighting the supposed contradiction between the two players off the field as well as the differences on it. Lionel Messi’s reputation is that of a modest and rather shy person while Ronaldo is seen as the playboy and narcissist. This debate of character has its new piece of evidence that condemns Ronaldo as the villain in the match-up between the two, and this time around the evidence is rather damning.
In a matter of three months, the Portuguese forward has been caught showing multiple displays of aggression and frustration that he has taken out on his opponents. While Ronaldo’s body language throughout this season helped lead to the firing of Rafa Benitez and are indicative of Real Madrid’s inability to perform to their lofty expectations this season, the No.7 has recently started to get physical with his outbursts.
Five times in three months Ronaldo has lashed out at opponents, including an elbow to Dani Alves, a nasty kick to the leg of Real Betis’ Francisco Molinero, as well as attacks on Sevilla’s Grzegorz Krychowiak, Sporting Gijon’s Nacho Cases and Las Palmas’ David Simon. Ronaldo’s only punishment to all of these incidents was seeing Messi take home the Ballon d’Or and watching his team drop a number of points in La Liga, though neither of these two directly correlate with his aggressive actions.
The frustration of the domestic season for Real Madrid appears to be boiling over, starting with their talisman. If Barcelona is able to defeat loanee Alen Halilovic and Sporting Gijon with their game in hand, Real Madrid will be seven points back of them in the La Liga title race with Atletico Madrid sitting in second place. The players themselves have reportedly admitted that their chase of the La Liga crown may be in vain and that their only hopes of a title will come in the Champions League.
Results of late, which include two draws and two losses in their last ten games, are not the only frustration for Ronaldo and company. Real Madrid and their neighbors at Atletico have both been awarded the same transfer ban that Barcelona recently dealt with, and even the recently promoted Zinedine Zidane will need time to quell the unrest involving superstars like Gareth Bale. Having Florentino Perez watching over his shoulder won’t make things any easier for Zidane.
So with Ronaldo and Real Madrid in a state of instability at the present moment, how should this affect Barcelona? The simple answer is that it shouldn’t. While Dani Alves and Gerard Pique have gone to social media to subtly take their jabs at their rivals, Messi and Andres Iniesta, along with Carles Puyol and Xavi, have always been the best examples on how to deal with distraction.
Whether Real Madrid is doing well or doing poorly, Messi has very little to say about the matter and simply wants to win trophies for his Catalan club. The No.10 has been at his best when taking on those villainous white jerseys, and while Ronaldo’s histrionics and frustration may be a point of pleasure for most Cules, beating Real Madrid when they are playing well and Ronaldo is thriving has always been just a little bit sweeter.
Ronaldo should be punished for his violent actions just like any other player should be punished for crossing the lines of aggression. Though with the way that Barcelona has played over the last year, Real Madrid will have their hands full, whether Cristiano Ronaldo is at his best or not.
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