by Luca Caioli
‘Some say it’s 41, others say 40 … I let Pepe have one of them,’ jokes Cristiano after a match which finishes 8-1. He is referring to a free kick which deflected off the White defender’s back and ended up in the net. It’s a goal which some authorities attribute to him, others to Pepe. But these are minor details – no one else in Spanish football has come close to matching his achievements. Cristiano has smashed the records of Athletic Bilbao’s Telmo Zarra, who scored 38 league goals in 30 matches in the 1950-51 season, and Real’s own Hugo Sánchez, who scored 38 in 35 matches in the 1989-90 season. The Mexican scored at a rate of once every 80 minutes, Zarra once every 71.05 and Ronaldo once every 72.
‘Cristiano has had a truly heroic season – he has been a generous player all year. Whoever scores 40 goals is generous to the team and a lethal weapon for winning matches,’ declares Real Madrid general manager Jorge Valdano. ‘I came here today to see him make footballing history. He is a tremendous player.’ Even in Real’s final four league matches, when Barça had already done enough to secure the title, CR7 scored a total of eleven goals. Four against Sevilla at the Sánchez Pizjuán (2-6), three against Getafe at the Bernabéu (4-0), two against Villarreal at El Madrigal and the two against Almería. A goal-scoring machine.
‘Let’s see who’ll beat my record now,’ jokes Ronaldo, who has already broken all of his own. In the 2007-08 season with Manchester United he scored a total of 42 goals, while during his first season at Real Madrid he racked up a decent 33.
Not only has Cristiano scored more goals than any individual, he has also scored more than some La Liga teams in the 2010-11 season. His 40 league goals beat Sporting de Gijón (35), Deportivo de La Coruña (31), Hércules (36) and Almería (36). Compared to other championships outside Spain, Ronaldo’s stats are on another level. He has scored almost as many goals as the two top scorers of the Premier League put together, Man United’s Berbatov and Manchester City’s Tévez, who scored 21 apiece.
‘I’m delighted to have won the ‘Pichichi’ [award for the top European goal-scorer] and to have broken the Spanish record,’ says Ronaldo. ‘I want to thank those who have helped me, the coach for believing in me and my team-mates. I am generous because my team-mates are generous to me and football is a team sport. Winning the Pichichi and the Golden Shoe is wonderful, because they are the result of the collective efforts of my team-mates, the coaches, all the staff and directors, and the support of the fans.’
Real’s number 7 is thrilled that the team has managed to score 102 La Liga goals and 148 across all three competitions, becoming the second-highest-scoring team in the Whites’ history. (The 1959-60 team scored 158 goals in 46 matches.) ‘I want to congratulate the team,’ says Cristiano. ‘The boss wanted lots of goals and to end on a high ready for the best possible start to next season.’ Because, records aside, this season has not gone exactly as the Portuguese would have hoped and he is not completely satisfied. Of all the goals he scored, only one was decisive – the one in the final of the Copa del Rey, a stunning header in extra time which beat Barcelona goalie Pinto and enabled Real to claim their only title of the season.
But it’s not enough for CR7. ‘Real aspires to win all the titles and I would have preferred to score half the number of goals but win La Liga or the Champions League,’ he explains in an interview with El partido de las 12 – The Midnight Match, a show which runs from midnight every night on the Cadena COPE radio station.
On balance, his personal star is on the rise. ‘I have felt a lot more comfortable and you could even say this has been my best season.’ He gives his performance and that of the team an eight or nine out of ten. But there’s no denying that Real Madrid and Cristiano have had a difficult year thanks to their eternal rivals: Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and, above all, Leo Messi.
Chapter 25
Cristiano and Leo
‘I don’t compete against Messi, I compete against myself and against all the teams in La Liga.’
Two footballers are sitting on a sofa, chatting. ‘God sent me down to Earth to teach people how to play football,’ says Cristiano Ronaldo. ‘Don’t be daft, I didn’t send anyone down to Earth,’ replies Messi.
It’s a joke which has done the rounds online and perfectly illustrates how the fans view the rivalry between the Portuguese and the Argentine. Aged 27 and 24 respectively, the two superstars share a similar career trajectory and desire to win, but their style both on and off the pitch could not be more different.
‘Cristiano Ronaldo subscribes to Euclid’s theory: the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Not only that, you have to blast down that line at warp speed until you reach the goal,’ muses award-winning Spanish writer Manuel Vicent in El País. ‘Leo Messi prefers Einstein: the shortest distance between two points is always a curve, and the only way to arrive is if you zigzag unpredictably like a careering swine trying to dodge the axe. Ronaldo inspires passion – Messi, admiration.’ And that’s why they are considered the gods of the modern footballing world.
It is true to an extent that Cristiano likes to compete with himself. When prompted to reflect on the comparisons made with Messi, he replies: ‘It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. My personality and my style of football are completely different from his. I’m only interested in my football and winning with Real Madrid.’ He insists he is not jealous of Messi, but there is no doubt that Leo is like the kryptonite to his Superman. The Argentine represents an obsession for him, his Achilles’ heel. It’s not a coincidence that from Spain, to Cyprus, to Bosnia, rival fans chant ‘Messi, Messi, Messi!’ at him. They know it will touch a nerve.
Leo has been compared with Cristiano for years. He is seen as his direct rival in the race to become the best in the world. And if the Portuguese publicly scoffs at the idea that he should feel any jealousy towards Messi and denies that privately he tries to break him down bit by bit, it is widely claimed that there has been an atmosphere of extreme tension between Cristiano and the ‘little one’, as he is known, ever since he toppled the former Ballon d’Or off the number one spot.
Real Madrid insiders say that seeing Cristiano Ronaldo in front of the TV watching Messi play is priceless. When his agent Jorge Mendes is watching with him, he tries to calm him down by saying that people don’t understand anything about football, that the Barça number 10 doesn’t deserve to be the best in the world.
It is true that in the 2010-11 season Cristiano has left Leo in the dust in La Liga, scoring nine goals more than the Argentine. But Messi didn’t really consider himself to be in the running for top goal-scorer, preferring instead to prepare for and focus on the Champions League final.
Cristiano has scored more often and in a wider variety of ways. He has also been fouled more often. But Messi is ahead in terms of runs and passes, as well as being the king of assists (nineteen, to Ronaldo’s nine). In the three main competitions the two are neck and neck on 53 goals, although the Flea has taken home the Liga and Champions trophies that Ronaldo so desired. They have just gone head to head again in their third consecutive Ballon d’Or duel, the prestigious trophy that Cristiano won first and wants to win twice more in the next five years.
The comparisons between CR7 and the Flea have been made constantly ever since the two started to shine at Man United and Barcelona. It began as a football rivalry but has since transferred to all aspects of their lives. There are university courses which analyse and compare their exposure in the media, and there is even a brand war. Cristiano endorses Nike, Messi Adidas; Cristiano wears Armani, Messi wears Dolce & Gabbana; Cristiano has a Time Force watch while Messi’s is Audemars Piguet; when it comes to what they put in their cars, the Portuguese uses Castrol while the Argentine prefers Repsol; and finally, the White number 7 drinks Soccerade, while the Blaugrana number 10 drinks Gatorade.
According to Sports Illustrated Messi wins in the financial stakes, making 31 million Euros a year to Ronaldo’s 27.5. But Cristiano is ahead on social media, with more than three millio
n Twitter followers and 30 million Facebook fans, just a bit behind some of the biggest popstars like Lady Gaga. Messi only created his Facebook page in the spring of 2011, and as a result he is lagging behind with only seven million fans.
But all these comparisons bring us back to the same question: who is the best? It’s a question asked thousands of times in the newspapers, on the radio, on TV and on blogs, and everyone from coaches, footballers, pundits and plain old fans have been swept up in the debate. Everyone has their own opinion.
Former Barça coach and three-time Ballon d’Or winner Johan Cruyff maintains that Ronaldo is a ‘more physical’ player, while Messi is technically more gifted. The ex-Netherlands player thinks it would be difficult for the Portuguese to reach the heights of Pelé, Maradona, Di Stéfano – all very technical players. Former Real and current England coach Fabio Capello says: ‘It’s difficult to decide which one is better. They are both very good but in different ways. Messi is unpredictable, no one is capable of doing what he does. But Cristiano is very powerful and has incredible speed.’ But when asked who he would choose for his squad, Capello jokes: ‘Cristiano speaks English. But Messi speaks football.’
‘For me, Messi is the best, but both of them are up there on the list of greats,’ says Sergio ‘El Checho’ Batista, former Argentine manager. ‘Leo has amazing skills, he’s incredibly talented, and he has a left-footed shot that many players envy. Cristiano hits the ball very well, he is strong and he moves very fast.’
‘They are both top players,’ agrees Portugal manager Paulo Bento. ‘If they didn’t play in the same country there wouldn’t be a debate about who was better. I am proud to coach a player like Cristiano, he is the consummate professional.’
Real Madrid captain Íker Casillas is convinced that ‘they are the two best players in the world. Some people prefer the strength and power of Cristiano’s headers, other prefer Lionel’s speed and dribbling. I choose Ronaldo, since he’s my player.’ Valencia defender Ángel Dealbert also prefers Cristiano: ‘He is a more complete player than Messi, in the sense that he plays equally well with both feet, and his head. He can push forward and he can shoot. Messi loses points when it comes to headers and playing with the right foot.’
But former Real Madrid player José María ‘Guti’ Gutiérrez feels that ‘Cristiano has fallen short of the mark in some important matches, something Messi never does. The real superstars are the players that can rise to the occasion at the highest level.’ Brazilian prodigy Neymar who plays for Santos says he likes both players: ‘They are the icons of the footballing world, but at the moment Messi is the best player in the world.’
Opinions, statistics, videos – and even marks out of ten, as if they were still in school. But everything serves to add to the discussion and help clarify the debate. A number of years ago, for example, the Guardian asked former Northern Ireland striker Gerry Armstrong and former England striker Trevor Francis (now both TV commentators) if they thought Cristiano was better than Messi. Francis said no, while Armstrong said yes.
Madrid sports paper Marca tries to make a decision based on technical ability alone:
Performance with the team:
Cristiano Ronaldo 7-8 Lionel Messi
Individual technique:
Cristiano Ronaldo 9-9 Lionel Messi
Physical fitness:
Cristiano Ronaldo 10-7 Lionel Messi
Speed:
Cristiano Ronaldo 9-8 Lionel Messi
Dribbling:
Cristiano Ronaldo 8-10 Lionel Messi
Shooting:
Cristiano Ronaldo 9-8 Lionel Messi
Passing:
Cristiano Ronaldo 9-9 Lionel Messi
Leadership:
Cristiano Ronaldo 9-7 Lionel Messi
The result is obvious but it should also be disregarded because it should be made clear that Marca is a publication primarily read by Real fans and always takes the side of ‘the White House’. It is unlikely that Messi would ever win in one of their comparisons.
Italian paper La Gazzetta dello Sport also scores the two out of ten:
Tactical abilities:
Cristiano 8.5, Leo 9
Dribbling:
Cristiano 9, Leo 10
Speed:
Cristiano 9, Leo 9
Headers:
Cristiano 7.5, Leo 6
Right foot:
Cristiano 9, Leo 8
Left foot:
Cristiano 8, Leo 10
This time Messi wins by just one point.
CR7 versus Messi has earned its place as a classic derby. Sport is fuelled by rivalries between athletes, teams and countries, as well as by comparisons between different periods in each of their histories. Memory is a fundamental element of the game and pitting one person against another is a favourite pastime which has always divided world media opinion. Boxers Ali and Foreman, racing drivers Prost and Senna, Italian cyclists Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi, tennis stars Borg and McEnroe, basketball players Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, motorcycle racers Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo, athletes Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson …
But in football it is rare to find a player considered to be a ‘great’ who can also be overshadowed by a contemporary. Pelé, Cruyff, Maradona and Di Stéfano never overlapped in terms of their time at the top. But now there is a personal duel between two stars which has become a one-on-one ever since the Portuguese arrived in La Liga. And the last season has been a rollercoaster of a ride, over the course of five derbies and a friendly between Portugal and Argentina.
The Clásico drama begins on Monday 29 November 2010. It is a strange day for a Barça-Real match, but there are general elections in Catalonia on the Sunday, so it is better not to compound the politics with added drama. Adverts about the game have hailed it as the most closely matched Clásico for years, indicating the possibility of a transfer of power from Barcelona to Real Madrid. Why? Because, they say, Cristiano is better than Messi, because Mourinho is not Manuel Pellegrini, nor is he Bernd Schuster or Juande Ramos or even Fabio Capello.
The Portuguese coach is the one who was capable of crushing the Blaugrana’s collective efforts from the Inter dugout just six months earlier, denying Guardiola and co. their ticket to the Champions League final in Madrid. He is the man chosen by the Real president as the antidote to the Catalan magic. A coach who, from the highest position in La Liga (unbeaten, and one point ahead of Barça on 32), questions Barcelona’s successes and accuses the referees and rival managers of handing them all the power.
Cristiano limits himself to saying that the blue and claret team play more of a ‘tiki-taka’ game and the Whites play with the sole objective of scoring as quickly as possible. He says that Barcelona are still an extremely difficult team to beat, even if they haven’t won six titles this year. ‘They are just as good as they have always been over the last few years, a very strong team, especially at home. They have demonstrated that they can give us a run for our money in La Liga.’ He doesn’t mention Lionel, preferring to emphasise how well Real Madrid have been doing: ‘We know that we are in a good place. That’s why it will be a good match. May the best team win at the Nou Camp. And the best team will be Real Madrid.’
Sadly, Cristiano loses his bet. On 29 November at the Nou Camp, Barça teach their visitors a lesson in majestic football, while the Whites have no idea how to respond to the back-and-forth style of play which leaves their formation in tatters. By the end of a cold and rainy night at the Nou Camp, the goals number five and they could have easily been six, seven or eight without anyone calling foul play. Real Madrid is drowning in deep, cold waters. Cristiano Ronaldo has been almost invisible. He is forced to run against the current, waiting in the pouring rain for passes which never arrive. The only moments worth noting are a free kick from 45 yards which is just wide and a one-on-one with Valdés which goes nowhere.
Other moments are noteworthy for the wrong reasons, after the tension of the match causes him to lose his nerve and get himself into trouble.
After the ball goes out and lands near the home team’s dugout, Pep Guardiola recovers it, dummies a throw-in, and then drops it back on the ground ready for Cristiano, who has just arrived to pick up the ball and continue the game. The Portuguese responds by pushing the rival coach, who staggers backwards. Andrés Iniesta and Víctor Valdés intervene: cue insults and more pushing. To prevent the situation from getting out of control, referee Iturralde González quickly shows Cristiano the yellow card. The fans in the stands start to whistle at him, which only makes him face up to his opponents with more rage. But he still can’t get past Alves and Abidal.
Nothing else remarkable happens, save for a moment of crossed wires with Mou. The number 7 goes over to the dugout to ask for instructions – or perhaps for the magic solution to the problem. But the Special One remains stony faced, and sits down on the bench without saying a word. Ronaldo is left to face his problems on the pitch alone and that’s the end of that. He has failed to score in a single one of the six matches he has played against Barça so far.
But Messi hasn’t scored either. He has never scored against a team managed by Mourinho, be it Chelsea, Inter or Real. This match breaks a run of ten consecutive games in which he has scored, but he has been generous and helped set up goals three and four for David Villa with surgical precision. The Flea has ruffled Carvalho, Lass, Pepe and Sergio Ramos’s composure, and after a senseless foul on the Argentine in the 92nd minute and a punch-up between Puyol and Xavi, the red card finally comes out. Ramos has lost control, which is not unusual in such a game of nerves, particularly when the Whites know that Mourinho’s game plan is still under construction, his ideas still need fine tuning, and he still doesn’t know how to beat his eternal rivals. Cristiano Ronaldo leaves the stadium without offering any statement or any explanation as to what went on out there. Captain Casillas also stays quiet.