MESSI OR RONALDO Will he or wont he? With Cristiano Ronaldo currently struggling with a thigh injury, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has to decide whether to risk the fitness of his most important player in Wednesdays Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. It would be a huge gamble on the part of the coach. The Portugal international is already considered touch-and-go for Madrids Champions League semifinal first-leg showdown, with reigning champion Bayern Munich at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 23, because of the hamstring strain that saw him sit out the second leg of the last-eight tie against Borussia Dortmund. And, as that game at Signal Iduna Park so painfully illustrated, Madrid is just not the same side without the talismanic No. 7. Of course, the night after Los Blancos lucky escape in Dortmund, Barcelona bowed out of the Champions League after losing 1-0 on the night, and 2-1 on aggregate, to Atletico Madrid. Unlike Ronaldo, Messi did start, but there were those who felt he may as well not have played, so negligible was his impact. Consequently, the question was once again raised: If you stop Messi, do you also by association stop Barcelona? All of which begs another question: Is Madrid or Barcelona more reliant on its star player? Who, essentially, is more important: Ronaldo or Messi? Two of Goals writers go head to head over the issue ... HISTORY-MAKER RONALDO ALWAYS SCORES By Taelo K Mosiiwa “Given the chance, he will score.” So said Diego Maradona of Cristiano Ronaldo during Euro 2012. It is a simplistic statement. Yet its veracity cannot be questioned. Cristiano Ronaldo always scores. The importance of the game is irrelevant. Since joining Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009, he has struck 246 times in 240 matches. He always finds the back of the net. In seemingly every game. Often more than once. And this without the same stellar supporting cast that Lionel Messi has behind him at Camp Nou. Indeed, as Fabio Cannavaro said last year, Ronaldo fully deserved to win the Ballon d’Or because he “carries” Real Madrid. And it’s no surprise. He is, as legendary United boss Sir Alex Ferguson says, “the complete footballer.” There is nothing he cannot do. Particularly in Clasicos. Between January 2012 and October 2012, Ronaldo faced Barcelona on six occasions. He scored seven times. Nobody in history has ever registered in six consecutive Clasicos. Not Ferenc Puskas. Not Alfredo di Stefano. Not Hugo Sanchez. Not Lionel Messi. Last week’s near-collapse at Signal Iduna Park perfectly illustrated just how reliant Real Madrid is on Ronaldo. Especially now. When the Portuguese was struggling with injury earlier this year, Jese Rodriguez was on hand to step in to Los Blancos’ attacking triumvirate. However, the youngster has now been ruled out for the season. Gareth Bale looks more effective in Ronaldo’s preferred position on the left wing but the Welshman has yet to prove himself in a Clasico. The same goes for Karim Benzema. Even in scoring twice against Barcelona last time out, the Frenchman still managed to show that in the big games he misses the big chances. Ronaldo does not. Is he arrogant? Yes, undeniably. It’s one of the reasons why he was booed at the Santiago Bernabeu recently. But they’ll miss him when he’s gone. They’ll miss him Wednesday. Why? Because he always scores. When Lionel Messi is either absent from the squad or playing while short of full fitness, his Barcelona team is almost completely unrecognizable. The Argentine superstar, scorer of an astonishing 309 goals over the past six seasons, has led his side to four Ligas and two Champions League trophies since his first Ballon d’Or triumph in 2009. He has consistently delivered in the biggest games, scoring decisive goals in both Champions League final victories against Manchester United. In the Clasico duels, he has been a constant thorn in Madrid’s side, scoring 15 times in 21 games since 2009 compared to Ronaldo’s 13 in the same number of matches. The Camp Nou star has nine assists compared to the Madrid talisman’s total of just one. At Madrid, an injured Ronaldo will always be missed but Los Blancos now have 100 million euro man Gareth Bale — enjoying a successful first season — to step in and fill at least some of the void. Karim Benzema, too, is enjoying his most effective campaign since arriving at the Bernabeu. Barca does not boast the same star power when Messi is not firing, despite the big-money move for Neymar last summer. The Brazilian is yet to find his best form at Camp Nou and despite his immense talent is years from being the finished product. The likes of Pedro and Alexis represent decent options, but usually Tata Martino is forced to deploy Cesc Fabregas or Andres Iniesta out of position whenever Messi is absent. The team is built around Messi and often it seems lost without him, playing with neither balance nor purpose. Last season’s Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich perfectly illustrated this. An unfit Messi was completely ineffective in the first leg and unable to participate at all for the second. A toothless Barca was trounced 7-0 on aggregate. The Catalans will be thrilled that it is Ronaldo — and not Messi — who is doubtful for the Mestalla battle Wednesday. Madrid will still have a chance of succeeding if it lines up without the Portuguese sensation, but few would be saying the same of Martino’s troops if they were missing Messi.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 12:23:27 +0000
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