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.
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.
There is no doubt that Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are still the top two soccer players in the world today. However, after scoring another goal that will pass into legend, Neymar has fans everywhere wondering how much longer until he catches up to those two.
Some radicals, like legendary Brazilian left-back Roberto Carlos, already claim that Neymar is the better of the three.
Notwithstanding certain Barcelona fans, the general soccer public is relieved that they dodged a bullet they didn't even know had been fired at them just more than 30 years ago: Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the bright lights (in both his play and his hair) in soccer almost didn't come into being.
Sometimes the world just falls into place, and something happens that makes you say "this feels right, this feels like it belongs." One such event happened recently when noted Cristiano Ronaldo enthusiast Cristiano Ronaldo attempted to break the world selfie record at the premier of his new movie about his life.
We, the general football-consuming public, have always assumed the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry was like this:
Photo: @jasondh153 | Twitter
But, in a recent interview, Cristiano Ronaldo has implied the relationship between him and Messi is more like this:
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.
An interview Cristiano Ronaldo gave back in August was released last Sunday. In it Ronaldo does nothing less than state that he believes he is better than Lionel Messi, the player widely accepted to be the best in the world.
Cristiano Ronaldo has already been established as a giving person, and that perception was reestablished when he sent a signed Real Madrid Jersey to Andres Moreno.
We should explain. Andres Moreno tips the scales at about 960 lbs., and is considered the most obese man in the world. He's not taken to kindly to that title, though, and is trying to lose weight.
Moreno recently underwent weight-loss surgery to kick-start that process, and received a surprise gift after the first procedure was successful: a signed Cristiano Ronaldo jersey.
Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo formed one of the most devastating strike partnerships in recent memory. Together, they brought wild success to a Manchester United club where there was no alternative given the pressure and the demands of the fans and media. It's truly impressive what Rooney and Ronaldo accomplished as Red Devils. They should both get testimonials in our opinion, but the Wayne Rooney testimonial will have to do.