Cristiano Ronaldo has never had a problem motivating himself – he’ll sprint the length of the pitch to get a fourth goal in an already-won unimportant league game – but even he will have extra motivation for this particular match.
Against Paris Saint-Germain, he can score his 100th Champions League goal for Real Madrid. And he can do it under the nose of the pretender to his crown, Neymar – the player his club wanted to sign last summer, ultimately to replace him.
In the end, selling Ronaldo to PSG and paying Neymar’s buy-out clause was out of Real Madrid’s reach because the French club bought him instead. It still hurts Ronaldo that they even considered it – that ego is as big as the Bernabeu, it’s helped him get where he is today and it will drive him on now.
Cristiano Ronaldo is preparing to take on Paris Saint-Germain with Real Madrid on Wednesday
Neymar is hoping to fire PSG to Champions League glory and make a personal statement
Over the years the goal celebrations have varied but one of his favourites has always been pointing to his chest and then to the pitch and telling the world ‘I’m here’. That will feel better than ever if he gets the chance to do it against PSG.
There was something of the ‘I’m still here’ about his whole performance against real Sociedad last weekend. He scored three but might easily have had five with a shot on to the post and a late chance missed.
He also made the first goal inside 40 seconds, setting the tone of the confidence-boosting Real Madrid win. It was his warm-up, the real thing comes now.
The opposition will be much tougher. Sociedad stood aside and waved Real through. PSG’s forte might not be defence but they still defend far better than Madrid’s mid-table opponents on Saturday. There will be less space and he’ll be up against three-quarters of a Brazil back four that will include old foe Dani Alves.
Ronaldo is the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, while Neymar desperately covets the award
The superstars are vying for individual supremacy as well as team glory this week – both believe that they are the world’s No 1 player and are ready to prove it on the biggest stage
The whole season is at stake and so is Ronaldo’s reputation. He was on top of the Ballon d’Or podium last year and also won FIFA’s The Best. He wants to be there again next December but the competition is more intense than ever.
Lionel Messi refuses to grow old (‘Tonight we find out who the second best player in the world is’, quipped the Catalan press on Wednesday morning) and Neymar – more puffed up than ever now that he is strutting around a smaller yard – looks ready to start winning the individual honours that Ronaldo still craves.
If the FIFA ‘Best’ and Ballon d’Or awards are decided by the World Cup and the Champions League then Brazil’s status as favourites for Russia can only help the PSG man. Ronaldo needs to win a third straight European Cup, and first he needs to win his personal duel with Neymar.
Ronaldo shows off his huge collection of personal awards in Madeira recently
But it could be Neymar who usurps him should the Brazilian storm the Bernabeu
| Neymar | Ronaldo | |
|---|---|---|
| Games Played | 27 | 28 |
| Minutes Played | 2427 | 2344 |
| Goals | 27 | 23 |
| Mins/Goal | 89.89 | 101.91 |
| Shots, Total (inc. Blocks) | 126 | 188 |
| Shots on Target | 58 | 72 |
| Shot Conversion Rate % | 21.43 | 12.23 |
| Assists | 14 | 5 |
| Chances Created (inc. assists) | 89 | 35 |
| Passes | 1756 | 790 |
| Passing Accuracy | 79.73 | 81.65 |
| Dribbles Completed | 189 | 35 |
He will need a little help from his friends. The so-called BBC forward line of Bale, Benzema and Cristiano has so far scored 38 goals this season. In contrast the Cavani, Mbappe, Neymar trident has scored 70. PSG are scoring four goals a game and doing it with less shots at goal than Madrid. The gulf is huge. Neymar’s pals are in top form, Ronaldo’s have not been.
He will hope their Champions League class comes to the fore. Benzema has 41 goals in 79 games in Europe, and Bale 12 in 41 matches, including important goals in finals. The dream is that they come good and that behind them Toni Kroos and Luka Modric hit their best too.
The nightmare is that none of this happens and Neymar leaves the Bernabeu having bossed the match and owned his opposite number.
As the years start to take their toll Ronaldo remains a supreme athlete but it’s notable that, at 33, he fails to stay on his feet more and the finishing is not always as precise as he struggles to get his body shape right.
These are minimal cracks in the old perfection but they will be magnified if Neymar, just 26, is the perfect 10 at the other end of the pitch.
These two are at very different stages of their career. Neymar is on the rise, Ronaldo is fighting against the slide. Marking up his century in the white shirt and getting the better of the player lined up to replace him just six months ago would be a wonderful way to remind everyone else what he unflinchingly believes – that he is still No 1.
Ronaldo celebrated scoring a hat-trick last Saturday but his season has been underwhelming
PSg are flying both at home and in Europe this season, with Neymar at the forefront