There is no pleasing some people.
Cristiano Ronaldo will run out at the Bernabeu tonight for Real Madrid’s UEFA Champions League encounter with Roma not sure where he stands with the home faithful.
Saturday’s four-goal haul against Celta Vigo did not stop the Los Blancos “faithful” booing their Portuguese superstar. Never mind that quartet of goals brought him to 27 for the season, putting him in pole position in the La Liga “Pichichi” and European Golden Boot races.
He has scored 252 goals in 228 La Liga games (second only to Lionel Messi, the Luke Skywalker to his Darth Vader) and tops the Champions League scoring charts with 12 goals this season.
Nobody is pretending the preening superstar is the easiest person to love and a healthy proportion of his goals this season have come at the Bernabeu against the likes of Malmo and Celta, but to boo him?
If his record of more than a goal a game doesn’t convince the Bernabeu faithful you would think the manner of his latest flurry would at least remind them of the magnitude of player their spoiled eyes get to feast on every fortnight.
An unstoppable thunderbolt from distance, a dreamy free-kick, a bullet header and the customary tap-in buried Celta, yet the home fans still booed their superstar.
Ahead of tonight’s Champions League last-16 second leg against in-form Roma, Zinedine Zidane had to again field questions about the booing and the suggestions the club would be better off shot of their 31-year-old Galactico.
“I don’t [think Ronaldo should be sold]. And I am the coach and I like Cristiano,” said the French icon who replaced Rafael Benitez as Real manager mid-season.
“The jeers, I also got them when I played, we all did. It is not about the player. It is about the fans demanding more from their players. I think [the whistling] is the best thing for the players because it helps them improve.”
Jeering Ronaldo and Zidane, two of the greatest men to ever lace a pair of football boots… Real fans would want to have a good, hard look in the mirror and ask what exactly it is they want and expect from their players.
“In the end, the supporters love their players and that is what matters. Because I continue to always see the stadium filled. That means a lot,” insisted Zidane.
“The fans are very important for us. And the fans know that they are important. When they don’t see the things they want they whistle a little. That is part of football. I was a player and you can’t make a big deal over that.”
Perhaps not on the same level as Zizou and Ronnie but still a target for the Bernabeu boo boys is Gareth Bale, who could return to make only his third Champions League appearance of the season.
The Welsh international returned from a calf injury on Saturday, making a scoring substitute cameo in the 7-1 dismantling of Celta – boosting his chances of making only his fourth appearance since Zidane took over in early January.
Zidane has the option of starting Lucas Vazquez against Roma – who have won five domestic matches on the spin – but you imagine a fit Bale would be the preferred option for Madrid president Florentino Perez, particularly with Karim Benzema unavailable.
“Whomever plays will have to do well,” said a deflecting Zidane. “They will have to be convincing on the field. Tomorrow we shall see, but the idea is this: we must defend when we don’t have the ball and do damage when we have it. It will be complicated to put the team together but it is best that we have everyone at our disposal.”
Twelve points behind Barcelona in La Liga, Real’s season realistically rests now on the Champions League, which is all the more reason for Zidane and Co to take the challenge of Luciano Spalletti’s Roma side.
“The only thing we have to do is win because of course we are dreaming of this, but our thoughts are only on tomorrow’s match,” said Zidane. “Many people feel that tomorrow’s match will be easy and that is not true. It will be a tough game. We have to play well and win well.”
If they don’t they will be sure to hear about it.
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Prizes include official UEFA t-shirts and footballs to tickets to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final in Milan on May 28th.
