Great read, thanks for sharing! I particularly liked this quote:
“If we’d had Ronaldo, we’d have won – and won the league,” manager Robson said years later about that game. His useful but mortal replacement, Juan Antonio Pizzi, whimpered: “I’m just a regular player; he is not from this planet."
I understand there were underlying circumstances in him leaving Barca, much the same with Figo, but the top Brazilian players do tend to struggle to stay settled at one club, which may be somewhat detrimental to their ability to consistently hit 30-40 goals season on season. Messi and C.Ronaldo have been rather lucky that for the most part (particularly Messi) they have been settled at one club which helps when it comes to maintaining incredible high raw statistics.
But yeah, that Ronaldo season along with the one where Messi scored 50 goals or however many it was will go down as the two greatest individual seasons in the modern game. Yet the Barça fans I know love to complain about how bad they have it
3-1 Real FT. They are second now. Atletico had a very good second half, even with a disallowed goal for Morata, but they just couldn’t take their chances.
Bilbao so close to take the lead here!
Take a bow Ter Stegen! What a save!
That ball from Messi to Suarez was just out of its world. Nice game overall.
Raul Garcia was about to score what you can call a golazo :cech:
Messi chips it just over the bar!
Barca always struggle away to Bilbao. It’s the same today.
Bilbao are destroying Barca.
0-0 at HT. Not a fair result for Bilbao.
Barca looking better in these first minutes of the second half.
Barca have bossed the second half, but still can’t score.
Dembele on.
OMG! TER STEGEN OUT OF HIS MIND WITH THIS SAVE!
Bilbao getting dangerous again.
0-0 FT. Fair result overall, as Bilbao bossed the first half, with Barca most of the second. Barca just 6 points above Real now.
