Because FIFA’s “team of the World Cup is such a farce I decided to make my own list

By Joao Cunha

The World Cup is over and many players have had fantastic tournaments and FIFA like they do every 4 years and this year they released their team of the tournament…and it was not refective of the best players at this World Cup.

GK: Thibaut Courtouis

DF: Marcelo!,Thiago Silva, Diego Godin, Raphael Varane

MF: Luka Modric, Phillipe Coutinho!, Kevin De Bruyne!

FW: Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo!

Now all the exclamation points are my way of highlighting the shock when I read those names. While Ronaldo, Coutinho had very good tournaments I don’t think they deserve to be on this list as there have been other players who have performed better in their position. De Bruyne I just think had an average tournament and was the wrong Belgian to be put on this list. But these errors I can live with, but Marcelo being on this list????? There’s no good reason why he should be on the list!!!! He was injured and didn’t play for nearly 2 games and Brazil did fine without him. In fact you can make the case that Filipe Luis was a better option at LB for Brazil than Marcelo!!!! He didn’t have a good World Cup by his high standards and it is as if the people picking this list chose him based on reputation rather than watching him play in the World Cup. As a result of this strange list I will give my World Cup team of the tournament based on who actually played WELL at the World Cup.

GK: Thibaut Courtois

DF: Thiago Silva, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire

MF: Eden Hazard, Luka Modric, N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Ivan Perisic

FW: Kylian Mbappe, Harry Kane

I had no problems with Courtois as he was the best goalie in the tournament. He made no mistakes and was vital making massive saves against Japan, Brazil (that save against Neymar was otherworldly), and France to help Belgium finish 3rd in the world. Plus every other keeper with the exception of Pickford made a mistake or weren’t at their best. Easy choice.

I could have put a lot of defenders in the list but I chose to keep Thiago Silva and Rapahel Varane as I felt they were the two best defenders in the tournaments. I chose Harry Maguire as the third CB as he was England’s best player throughout the tournament. Since England didn’t have the most creative midfields it was up to Maguire to break the lines with his passing. His passing out of the back was the main starting point of England’s attacks. In addition he was a very solid defender and won a lot of aerial duels and tackles. But he was also great from set-pieces scoring the winning goal versus Sweden and setting up a few goals winning headers in the box. He had a great tournament and deserves recognition.

The midfield is where I made the most changes I added Hazard, Perisic as attacking wingers and added Kante and Pogba into the center of the midfield. The fact that Hazard was left out of the FIFA list was a travesty. You could make the argument that he was the best player at the World Cup and he had no game where he underperfomed. In fact FIFA awarded Hazard the Silver Ball yet didn’t put him on this list…He was the only Belgian player capable of breaking France down in the semi-finals. He was terrific against Japan, Brazil and England in the remaining knockout games. His work-rate was excellent and he consistently delivered in the World Cup. Ivan Perisic had a bit of a slow start but grew as the tournament went on and began to really shine in the knockout stage. He defended superbly and shielded the back 4 while being a menace offensively. He scored the equalizer against England and assisted Manzkudic’s winner. He scored a fantastic goal against France in the final. He was one of Croatia’s most consistent players in their shock run to the final. Paul Pogba like Perisic had a slow start to the WC but he grew into life in the latter rounds. For me he produced the 4 best performances of his career against Argentina, Uruguay, Belgium and Croatia en route to France winning the World Cup. He controlled the midfield brilliantly against Argentina and Uruguay. While against Belgium he was fantastic defensively and marked Fellaini out of the game. Fellaini won 1 aerial duel against Paul Pogba all game long! In the final against Croatia he was both commited defensively and scored a fine goal that ended up being the winner in the final. Pogba proved his worth as a top-5 midfielder in the would at this tournament. Pogba’s midfield partner was excellent as well winning so many duels in the midfield. Kante also was a major reason why France could afford to play a counter-attacking style since he could win the ball back when needed and intiate counters. The highlight of Kante’s tournament was him effectively man-marking Messi out of the game in the Round of 16, he also marked De Bruyne out of the Belgium game too. Kante was a vital cog in France’s win. Modric was the player of the tournament nothing more needs to be said about him.

I kept Harry Kane as he was the Golden Boot winner and I couldn’t feasibly criticize him for his performance from open-play since Greizmann’s 4 goals were 3 penalties and a goal from a keeper error. He was a vital part of England’s run to the semis, and England’s limited midfield meant he didn’t have as much service as he should have in certain games. Mbappe on the other hand was a no-brainer. He scored 4 goals in the tournament and almost by himself knocked off Argentina in the Round of 16 with 2 goals and 1 penalty earned. He scored in the final was France’s most dangerous offensive player throughout the World Cup.

The FIFA list once again felt like it was rushed out there without much thought actually being given to who played well in the World Cup. it rewarded players with bigger reputations (Godin. Marcelo, CR7. De Bruyne) while punishing others who should have been included (Kante, Hazard, Maguire, Perisic). I felt that this is a pattern that needs to be addressed as if not players who actually deserve recognition won’t be given their proper due.

Allez Les Blues: France’s World Cup win a triumph of youth, versatility, and organization rather than style

France lifting the 2018 FIFA World Cup

By Joao Cunha

France won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with an incredibly talented group of players but there were two things that stood out. They were a young side, the average age of the team was around 26 years old which is the youngest team to win the tournament since at least 1966. It is not common for young sides to win major tournaments like this as they usually require a few failures to learn from before they can succeed. However France had so much talent throughout the side that they were able to overcome their relative inexperience. Varane the unquestioned leader and most experienced player in France’s back 4 is only 25 years old. Yet he had won 15 trophies at Real Madrid already. Umititi had won the league at Barcelona last season and had started in the final of Euro 2016. Lucas Hernandez was part of the Atletico side that won the Europa League in 2018 and had played several years for the Madrid club. Benjamin Pavard who is 22 plays for Sttugart. Paul Pogba won several league titles at Juventus and the Europa League at Man United. This was his 3rd major tournament and yet he’s only 25. N’Golo Kante had only 3 seasons of top-flight experience yet he has won 2 EPL titles and an FA Cup. The main star offensively for France is Kylian Mbappe who scored 4 goals in the World Cup has already won 2 ligue 1 titles with Monaco and PSG. Yet he’s only 19. The point is that while France are a very young side the talent they have is so extraordinary that it overrides a lot of the inexperience. These players have all been part of great club sides that have won major titles. So they have experienced winning at the highest level at a young age. With the the help of senior players like captain Hugo Lloris, midfielder Blaise Maltudi, and experienced strikers Antonine Greizmann, Olivier Giroud the squad had the right mix of experienced and young players to win a World Cup. But crucially they had a manager who built a team out of this collection of talent.

Didier Deschamps had a hard mission heading into this World Cup, he had to build a team out of very talented yet very young players. Many in the media and French fans criticized him for his often pragmatic style of play. He had made the bold decision of leaving out Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema in 2 consecutive tournaments. He wanted a unified squad, and a team that could play any type of game. Versatility not style was how Deschamps felt this team could maximize their potential. He began the tournament playing with Griezmann as a number 9, and Dembele and Mbappe out wide. It didn’t work well with France scraping out a 2-1 win. Deschamps in the next game included Olivier Giroud and the team began to click. Giroud despite not scoring or even having a shot on target in the tournament was integral in the team’s success. With his hold-up play and work-rate he allowed Mbappe and Griezmann to run at spaces behind the opposition defense. In addition he tracked back and acted at times like an auxiliary midfielder helping Maltudi, Pogba, and Kante break up plays in midfield. In the Belgium game he made a hard challenge on Hazard that resembled a defensive midfielder not a striker! But this change that Deschamps was the catalyst for the team taking off. They beat Peru 1-0 with Giroud setting up Mbappe on the only goal of the game. They finished up topping the group and beat Argentina 4-3 in the Round of 16. In that game Deschamps’s other gamble starting young Benjamin Pavard instead of Mendy or Sdidibe turned out to be a masterstroke as he scored a wonder goal to level the score at 2-2. Mbappe due to Giroud’s spatial awareness in that game was free to run at Argentina’s defense scoring 2 goals and earning a penalty. France looked dominant in the midfield as Pogba bossed the game, with kante cleaning up behind him. That midfield would dominate Uruguay en route to a 2-0 win the last 8. Varane was the hero with a great header of a Greizmann cross. Griezmann finished off the game with the second goal although Muslera did make a mess of it. Against Belgium it was the defense who saved the day with Varane and Umtiti having big games at the back. Lloris making crucial saves in both halves Pogba dominating arieal duels in midfield, and Kante and Maltudi marking De Bruyne and Dembele out of the game. The winner came from the head of Umtiti off a corner and the French held on to win 1-0. France were one game away from winning the World Cup, but they had been a similar position in Euro 2016 too and didn’t finish the job.

Those who criticize Deschamps for being too defensive have to be remember that a more offensive French side failed to win the Euros at home in 2016. Griezmann had 6 goals, Giroud had 3 goals in that tournament, they had scored 2 goals against Ireland, 5 goals against Iceland, and 2 goals against Germany to reach the final. They battered Portugal all game long in the final, but they still lost. That French team didn’t have that killer instinct and wasn’t versatile enough. So when Portugal parked the bus and forced them to attack they struggled to break them down. Deschamps learned from that game and saw the best to way to win a tournament was not just accommodating a style of play but knowing how to win games multiple ways. They won a game 4-3 with their attack, they controlled a game with their midfield and won 2-0 and now they won a semi 1-0 by defending better than their opponents. There wasn’t a scenario they hadn’t seen. So France played the final and got dominated by Croatia in the first half and had one shot on target…and were leading 2-1. Griezmann who was ineffective in the Euro 2016 final was decisive this time around. He “earned” the free-kick and his delivery led to the own-goal. He scored the controversial penalty France earned as a result of Perisic’s handball. He assisted Pogba’s thjrd goal as well. France weathered the storm for 55 minutes then Deschamps made a crucial change bringing on N’Zonsi for Kante and they began to controlled the midfield. France everntually won the game 4-2 with Mbappe closing the game out with his moment of brilliance. France were World Champions once again and they did it nor playing to their potential. But instead of that being a criticism it should be praised. A team won a World Cup not at their best, there aren’t many teams who can claim that. This team will only get better with time and the resilience they showed is the key to their success more than their style.

Yes this France doesn’t play with the style of Spain in 2010 or Brazil of the past. But they are like a hybrid of great national sides, they have the flair of South American sides with the mentality of German teams. They can get outplayed for long stretches and win, they can win high-scoring and low-scoring games. They don’t have a clear flaw. They have a great spine of Lloris-Varane-Kante-Pogba-Griezmann-Mbappe which would be formidable in any era. Deschamps might be considered a “lucky manager” but he is the one who made this team so unified. He has made them defend as a unit. That is the most impressive part of this team is the defensive solidity and the lack of ego in this team. France in the past have been sunk by infighting with the most shameful incident was the player led revolt against Domenech. Deschamps through his team-first message has made players accountable for defending first and then being more offensive. This pragmatic style was the foundation for winning the World Cup and starting an era of French dominance.

 

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Making Real Madrid great again: How Cristiano Ronaldo transformed the fortunes of Real Madrid from also-rans to a dynasty

Cristiano Ronaldo lifting the 2016 UEFA Champions League trophy.

By Joao Cunha

To tell the story of how Cristiano Ronaldo impacted Real Madrid we must a take a trip back to 2009 before his arrival to the Bernabeu. In May 2009 Real suffered the humanization of a lifetime, losing 6-2 at home  to a Messi-inspired Barcelona. To rub salt even deeper into the wounds, that Barcelona side would go on to win the League, Cup, and Champions League titles all in the same season. Barcelona for once had done something not even Real could do, they were the first Spanish side to win the treble. Even more harrowing is the fact they did it playing the sort of football many people had always wanted to see. With their passing style they not only won but captured the hearts and minds of the world. Real on the other hand were a shitshow. They finished the season on a 5-game losing streak which was the longest in the club’s history. They finished 9 points behind Barca and the only reason it wasn’t more is because Barca had to fight on 3 fronts. They had an aging squad with Heinze, Cannavaro, and Michel Salgaldo starting key games at the back. They also lacked talent, as Royston Drenthe, Miguel Palanca (who played in a clasico no less), Javier Saviola, Fernando Gago and even Julien fucking Faubert saw playing time in that season. Calderon was ousted in disgrace after a scandal riddled term. The future didn’t look bright in the short or long term as Barcelona were a young side with Pep Guardiola only in his first year in charge. Florentine Perez came in May 2009 as the club’s new President but it felt like that was a desperate attempt to just relive the glory years of the early 2000’s. Not many Real fans expected him to change since his early stint but I think even the most anti-Perez person would acknowledge he was still a better than Ramon Calderon. With that said this was the environment that Cristiano Ronaldo came into in the summer of 2009. Lest we forget he left Manchester United when they had a great team with Rooney, Tevez, Scholes, Giggs, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, and Van der Sar. A team that had a brilliant manager in Sir Alex Ferguson and a team who had the EPL for 3 straight years, and who went to back to back CL finals in 2008 and 2009 (winning the competition in 2008). Ronaldo left a club that was the 2nd best club in the world to join a project. The smart thing for him would have been to stay there and claim more success in the next few years. But he decided he wanted the challenge and Real were the beneficiaries of his decision.

Ronalddo’s presentation to the Bernabeu in 2009. 

When he was presented in 2009 it was the largest crowd to see a player unveiled in football history. There was no doubt it was the beginning of a new era. But the first few seasons for Ronaldo were far from easy. His first season in Spain he scored 26 La Liga goals and 7 goals in the Champions League. Real had an 18 point improvement over the previous season, yet Real lost the league to Barca by 3 points. His season was remembered for remarkable moments, his brace against Zurich in the CL, his stunning goal against Zaragosa, and his last-minute winner against Osasuna. But it was also remembered for his red-card against Malaga where he elbowed a player in the face, where he was sent-off against Almeria for taking off his jersey. And for his crucial misses at Barcelona in a tight 1-0 loss to the Catalan rivals. If he had buried those chances Real would have probably won the league. But the injury suffered in a match against Marseille probably was the reason Real didn’t win La Liga as he was out for nearly 2 months. The season in the Copa del Rey ended with a disastrous defeat to lowly Alcrocon 4-1 on aggregate. As for the CL Lyon humbled Real Madrid 2-1 on exaggerate in the Round of 16. Real even with Ronaldo, Kaka, and other galaticos failed to win a trophy again.

As a result of the failed campaign Pellegrini was fired and replaced with Jose Mourinho. The next season Real won the first trophy with Cristiano Ronaldo heading home a Di Maria cross to deliver the Copa Del Rey to the capital club. It was Real’s first trophy in 3 years and it signaled a turning point in Real’s recemt history as it was the first time they beat Barca under Pep Guardiola. However Barcelona with their storming football won another La Liga title beating Real Madrid 5-0 on a Monday evening in 2010. Florentine called it “the worst night in Real’s history” and while it wasn’t that bad it was another black eye in Real’s recent history. Couple that defeat with a controversial loss in the Champions League to Barca in the semi-finals and Real’s season was once again overshadowed by their hated rivals. Barcelona went on to win their 2nd Champions League in 3 years and as Marca infamously wrote the day Barca won the CL “Mourinho walks his dog.” This was not on Ronaldo who produced a remarkable year scoring 53 goals with a then record 40 in La Liga becoming the first player to score 40 goals in a Spanish top-flight season. He was the top scorer of the Copa del Rey with 7 goals and added 6 goals in the Champions League. He won his first pichchi in Spain and added the European Golden Shoe but Messi won the Balon d’Or over him in 2011. Barca and Messi had cast a large shadow over Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo scoring an iconic header against Barcelona helping Real defeat Barca in the 2011 Copa Del Rey final.

In 2011-12 was a different story for Madrid and Ronaldo. Real with Ronaldo having his best statistical season of his career at that point with 60 goals in all competitions won La Liga. His performances that season were the stuff of legend. His hat-trick at Atletico Madrid was for me one of the defining games of his career as he scored a hat-trick and had an assist in a 4-1 Real win. He had also begun to score against Barcelona, after only scoring 2 goals in his first 8 clasicos, he couldn’t stop scoring against the Catalans. His most important goal of the season came in the second clasico of the season where Real only needed a draw to practically seal the title, with the scored tied at 1-1 CR7 latched on to an Ozil through ball and slotted the ball past a helpless Victor Valdes. Real would go on to win the game 2-1 and Ronaldo’s legacy was finally cemented. He delivered something great, he stopped Barca from taking Real’s lunch money once again. He stemmed the tide of Barca’s success. He scored 46 La Liga goals and another 10 in the Champions League. Barca had some consolation in eliminating Real from the Copa del Rey but Real had the league title. In the Champions League Real lost in another bitter semi-final to Bayern Munich with Ronaldo having 2 goals and an assist in the tie, yet missing a crucial penalty in the shootout. Real didn’t have the Decima yet but they had their pride back, and they had the most iconic celebration of the rivalry.

Ronaldo telling Barca fans to calm down after scoring the second goal in Real’s 2-1 victory at Barcelona. it would be Pep Guardiola’s last clasico and effectively clinched the league for Real Madrid.

Calma yo estoy aqui. It was a celebration that began Ronaldo’s ascent from just a normal great player into a full-fledged Real Madrid legend. That one move is still in my memory as the moment where Real fans finally embraced Ronaldo fully. He had not only delivered in a big game, but it was against Barcelona, the greatest Barca ever. That game I still believe was the catalyst that forced Pep to leave Barcelona. It was the pendulum finally swung back Real’s way. After years of frustration and pain Real fans finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Or so Real fans thought…

The next season Real Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup beating Barca in the final and knocked Barca out of the Copa del Rey. They also got 4 points against Bartcelona in the league. With CR7 being a massive reason why Real started to not just win clasicos but dominate them too. He scored in 6 consecutive clasicos and scored the decisive brace that knocked Barca out of the Copa del Rey. While his teammates underachived Ronaldo had a fantastic season scoring 55 goals with very little help around him. He almost single-handedly carried Real to glory but they lost the Copa Del Rey final to Atletico despite Ronaldo’s opener, and lost another CL semi-final 4-3 on aggregate to Dortmund. Barcelona despite their own chaos still won another La Liga trophy by 15 fucking points! Real Madrid parted ways with Mourinho and there began to be a sinking feeling that Real Madrid had wasted Ronaldo’s prime. But in early 2014 he did end up winning his first Balon d’or in 4 years finally breaking Lionel Messi’s dominance.

Real hired Carlo Ancelotti and the club finally reached their potential winning a Copa del Rey with Bale scoring the winner, but more importantly without an injured Ronaldo. Ronaldo was still the star but he had help for once. With Modric, Di Maria, Alonso in midfield, and the BBC in attack Real stormed their way to the CL final. They had broken the semi-final curse with a 5-0 demolition of Bayern with Ronaldo scoring a brace in Munich. Although Real had lost the league again this time to upstart Atletico Madrid, there was a feeling Real were back where they belonged. On the 24th of May 2014 Real through a last-gasp goal by Ramos, and extra-time goals by Bale, Marcelo and Ronaldo delivered the first European Cup to Real Madrid in 12 years. Ronaldo finished with 17 goals in the tournament setting an all-time record, he had a goal and an assist in the final. He finished the season with 54 goals, 31 in La Liga, a European golden shoe, top scorer in the league and Champions League. He also finished with two trophies and had delivered the holy grail to Real Madrid. If 2012 made him a legend, 2014 enhanced his status to a mythical status.

Ronaldo scoring the 4th goal of the 2014 Champions League final. It was his record breaking 17th goal of the tournament.

As a result of his stunning campaign Ronaldo won his second straight Balon d’Or. The 2014-15 season saw Ronaldo score a brace to help Real win a UEFA Super Cup and offer a few assists as Real won their first ever Club World Cup and 4th world title. Real were in imperious form for the majority of the season at one point winning 22 straight games which is a Spanish record. However Real failed to win a major trophy being eliminated by Atletico in the Copa del Rey and losing out on the league by 2 points to rivals Barca. In addtion Juventus knocked them out of the Champions League 3-2 on aggregateA. This was despite the fact CR7 had his best ever statisical season scoring 61 goals and dishing out 20 assists. Once again winning the Golden boot in La Liga and European golden shoe, as well as being the rop scorer of the Champions League. Because of Barcelona’s treble, he finished second to Messi in the Balon’d Or voting. Another year of Ronaldo’ prime had been wasted.

Ancelotti paid the price for the trophyless season and Rafa Benitez was brought in. Any progress Real had made the previous 2 seasons were seemingly undone in 6 months. The players, fans all disliked the appointment and the team had reason to. Rafa idiotically fielded an ineligible player (Cheryshev) in the Copa del Rey causing Real to be dumped out of the tournament. Real were once again the joke of Europe getting their asses handed to them once again by Barca 4-0 at home. Rafa’s side played turgid ugly football and they were 3rd in La Liga when Perez mercifully fired him. The squad was in disarray and for the first time CR7 began to shown signs of decline. Chants asking Perez to resign were at their highest pitch, as another lost season looked inevitable. However with the hire of Zidane that all changed. Real stormed up the table to nearly win La Liga but lost out by one point to double winners Barca. But it was in the Champions League where the revival took form, Real eliminated Roma to reach the last 8. They were 2-0 down to Wolfsburg heading into the second leg of that tie. Not many expected Real to advance, and if they didn’t Zidane would be fired. The progress would end and Real would be in chaos again. The club needed a hero, they needed CR7.

Ronaldo celebrating after he scored Real’s third goal in a 3-0 win over Wolfsburg. One of the most iconic matches of his career.

Ronaldo put together arguably his finest performance in a Real Madrid kit, scoring a brilliant hat-trick to drag Real Madrid back from the brink. His free-kick to complete his hat-trick went through the wall in the one area it could have gone into the back of the net. As Peter Drury remarked, “Beautiful. Beautiful. Something close to genius. He’s turned the tie around all by himself.” The first time Real Madrid had overcome a deficit of 2 goals in a European tie in nearly 30 years. Real Madrid were in the semis and no one would deny them again in Europe anymore. Real would beat Man City in the semi-final before triumphing over Atletico Madrid in another final this time on penalties with Ronaldo scoring the decisive kick. He finished the season with 51 goals, 35 in La Liga and 16 in the Champions League. finishing 2nd top scorer in La Liga and as the Champions League’s top scorer again. He had delivered another European Cup to Real Madrid and the success would only grow from there.

Ronaldo scoring the decisive penalty in the 2016 Champions League as Real won the shootout 5-3 on penalties.

Real had a special side but he was at the forefront of the eventual dynasty. After 2016 Real fans had finally felt that they usurped Barcelona’s grip for good. They had won 2 out of the last 3 Champions Leagues and the future was bright. But not even the most optimistic Real fan knew what the next season would bring. Ronaldo returned to Madrid as a European Champion with his nation and looked set for another great season. Even with a slow start Real won the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup. With Ronaldo netting a hat-trick in the final of the Club World Cup which only Pele had done in this type of final. He won his 4th Balon d’Or as a result of his exploits for club and country. Ronaldo grew from strength to strength and scored 5 goals to knock Bayern out of the Champions League quarter-finals, then added a hat-trick to knock Atletico out of the semi-finals. He then scored 6 goals in the final 4 La Liga games to deliver Real’s first La Liga title in 5 years. Including the winner against Malaga on the final day of the season. To top this off he scored a brace against Juventus to win Real madrid another European Cup, Real became the first side to defend the Champions League in 27 years. Ronaldo finished the season with 42 goals, 25 in La Liga, 12 in the Champions League finishing as top scorer of the Champions League again and the Club World Cup. At the end of 2017 he would win his 5th Balon d’or and tie Messi’s record. In addition he brought Real a European dynasty again. Barca were now looking up at Real not the other way around. He became a symbol of Real’s success and became the modern day Alfredo Di Stefano. His final season in 2017-2018 was his last and maybe his memorable act.

Ronaldo celebrating one of his 2 goals against Juventus in the 2017 Champions League final. He was voted Man of the Match after the game.

In 2017-18 Real began by winning both the UEFA and Spanish Super Cups. Although Ronaldo was eventually suspended for pushing a ref in the Spanish Super Cup, his goal against Barca in the Camp Nou will live on in Madrid lore. With the score tied at 1-1 he took the ball from an Isco pass dribbled past Pique and fired a powerful strike past Ter Stegen. Real went on to win the game 3-1 and the Super Cup 5-1 overall. Pique after the match admitted for the first time he felt Barca were inferior to Real Madrid. Despite this good start Real lost out on the league finishing 17 points behind Barcelona and behind Atletico as well. They were knocked out by Leganes in the Copa del Rey on away goals. A Club World Cup win over Gremio thanks to a Ronaldo free-kick could not paper over these cracks. The season came down to the Champions League and Real needed to step up. Ronaldo who had a slow start in the league was firing in the Champions League, he needed to perform again.

If Real lost their season would be deemed a failure and Zidane would be fired. In addition the squad would have been blown up, CR7 was taking a lot of criticism over his decline. A loss and Real Madrid would have considered selling him off in the summer. The pressure was on Ronaldo but boy did he deliver. He scored the equalizer and with his knee scored the second goal as Real roared back to beat PSG 3-1 in the first leg of the Round of 16 tie. In the second leg he scored again to help Real beat PSG again. He outshone Neymar who was Real’s main target and propelled Real into the quarter-finals. Against Juventus he scored twice and assisted Marcelo as Real ran 3-0 winners, but the bicycle kick he scored was the finest goal of his career and the Juve fans gave him a standing ovation.

The goal that defined Ronaldo’s Real Madrid career. It made a stadium of the opposing applaud his brilliance.

The tie incredibly was not over yet as Juve staged a remarkable comeback at the Bernabeu leading 3-0 until the 93rd minute, until Vasquez was pushed by Benatia and a penalty was awarded to Real Madrid. Ronaldo who scored in 10 consecutive Champions League games needed to convert the penalty to send Real through. The result: Of course he fucking scored he’s Ronaldo. Real went through to yet another semi-final their 8th straight semi-final which is a tournament record. With performances by Benzema, Navas, and Marcelo Real escaped past Bayern in the semi-final. They went on to defeat Liverpool in the final 3-1 behind two goals by Bale and another by Benzema. Ronaldo finished the season scoring in his last Madrid derby and Clasico which ended in draws. His last goal was against Villareal was his 451st as a Real Madrid player. He finished the season with 44 goals, 26 in La Liga, and 15 in the Champions League. For the seventh time in his career and sixth time at Real he was the Champions League top-scorer. He led Real to the greatest dynasty since Di Stefano’s Real won 5 straight European Cups. No team had won 3 straight CL’s in 42 years and he had delivered that. The European Cup is back home and it hasn’t left for 3 years, Ronaldo returned the trophy back from loan. For that every Real Madrid fan should be eternally grateful to him.

Ronaldo clebrating winning his 5th Champions League overall and 4th as a Real player.

He transformed Real Madrid from a sideshow to the main event. Cristiano Ronaldo was the greatest player in Real’s history, as he made the club great again. He saved Perez’s legacy, he saved Zidane’s job, he prevented Barca from dominating Real for a decade. His 9 years ran down the clock against Pep and the MSN Barca sides. For that is his biggest accomplishment keeping Real competitive and thriving when their rivals have had their best ever sides. The fact Real won 2 League titles is no indictment on Ronaldo but a praiseworthy achievement for Barca and Atletico. But make no mistake at Real the summit is the European Cup and he has 4 of them. He delivered the Decima, Undecima, Duodecima, and Decimaterceira in a span of 5 years. No club other Real have won as many European Cups in that span of time. Before Ronaldo came the edge between the first and second most successful team in the CL was 2 after he left it is 6!!!! I can’t thank him enough for that. No Madridista ever can. I hope he wins his 6th Balon d’Or this season and ends his career well at Juve. He may be at Juve but Real Madrid is his home.

Achievement at Real Madrid:

Trophies won: 16

2 La Ligas: 2011-12. 2016-17

2 Copa del Rey’s: 2010-11. 2013-14

2 Spanish Super Cups: 2012, 2017

4 UEFA Champions Leagues: 2013-14, 2015-16. 2016-17, 2017-18

3 UEFA Super Cups: 2014, 2016, 2017

3 Club World Cups: 2014, 2016, 2017

Individual honors

4 Balon d’ors 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017

2 FIFA the Best 2016, 2017

3 UEFA Best Player in Europe 2014, 2016, 2017

3 Pichchis: 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15

3 European Golden Shoe: 2010-11, 2013-14, 2014-15