[ad_1]
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo almost always complement each other in interviews.
With eleven Ballon d’Or awards among them, the eternal rivals naturally share a great deal of respect.
Only on very rare occasions has the mask slipped over the years.
The competition between two of the all-time greats was fiercer when they faced each other in La Liga between 2009–2018.
El Clásico boasted of an additional spice as Ronaldo and Messi battled for dominance, and occasionally one of them inadvertently revealed that they relished rivalry as much as the rest of the world.
That brings us to 2017, when Barcelona hosted Real Madrid in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, and Blaugrana was probably relieved to see the Whites’ star man starting on the bench.
Gerard Piqué’s goal gave Real the lead before Messi equalized from the spot.
Then Ronaldo, who came in as a substitute, ran out, got into the box and snuggled the ball into the corner of the net.
It was a good shot and he had a celebration to match, except it wasn’t actually Ronaldo’s celebration.
The Portuguese walked away and took off his shirt, before lifting it skywards in front of Barcelona fans at Camp Nou.
Sounds familiar? He was supposed to, since he was, of course, a copy of Messi’s infamous move after scoring against Real in April 2017, when he mocked opposition supporters with his shirt.
Both objectives can be seen in the following video:
However, it could be said that the Argentine laughed for the last time, even if Real Madrid won 3-1 this time thanks, in part, to Ronaldo’s goal.
Both players received a yellow card for the celebration, but Ronaldo’s would be more expensive.
Later that night, already on a reserve, he was sent off when referee Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea decided he had dropped too easily into the area.
To make matters worse, the Madrid striker then proceeded to put pressure on the official, obtaining a retrospective ban on five games.
So overall rubbing salt on Barcelona’s wounds and making a statement to Messi was probably more troublesome than it was worth.
News Now – Sports News
[ad_2]
