Raining goals at the Bernabéu:

Last week Real Madrid were involved in the most expensive game of football in El Clásico:  Barcelona versus Real Madrid at the Camp Nou. The ‘best’ team in the world – treble-winning Barcelona versus the world’s most expensive team – Real Madrid.

It was a match with a line-up consisting of the ‘Gods’ of current football – 2009 Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi and the world’s most expensive player Cristiano Ronaldo amongst other football stars including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez and Raúl. World-class footballers all playing in the biggest fixture of the La Liga calendar.

And both teams performed to the standards required in such a contest of the Gods with Real Madrid producing one of their best away performances this season and demonstrating that their newly assembled team could take on the team that won the Champions League, La Liga and the Copa del Rey last season.

But for Madrid it was not enough. Six minutes after coming on as a substitute it was Barcelona’s Ibrahimovic who took centre-stage when he scored a wonderful goal past Iker Casillas in the 56th minute and gave the hosts the goal that would see them to victory against their arch-rivals. If people doubted the Sweden international’s ability to be as important to Barcelona as Samuel Eto’o was for the Catalans during his career then they were wrong. When Barcelona needed a player who could produce a fabulous finish on this grand stage then they had it in the form of Ibra. However it was Real’s Ronaldo who could not produce the finish that he is more than capable of - his shot on goal being denied by a great save from Victor Valdes in the first half. 

The win at the Camp Nou took Barcelona ahead of Real Madrid in the league table and with Barcelona playing a tough fixture against Deportivo La Coruña away this weekend, Real Madrid needed to win at home against Almeria. And the match did not disappoint.

Madrid took the lead with a Sergio Ramos header in the 31st minute giving the defender his first goal of the season and it was Los Blancos who dominated play throughout most of the first-half.

However Almeria went in front in the second-half by taking advantage of some poor clearances from the hosts with a Fernando Soriano goal in the 59th minute and just two minutes later, a Kalu Uche strike, leaving everyone in the Bernabéu stunned. 

Albeit for some dodgy defending from Madrid, it was to be Gonzalo Higuaín, who proved yet again to be Real’s wonder man, who equalised for Los Blancos in the 74th minute putting the two teams back on level terms and setting up an exciting and lively final ten minutes which began with a penalty being awarded to the home-side.

2008 Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty which had been awarded following a foul on the Portugal international by goalkeeper Diego Alves. A slight hint of diving by Ronaldo handed him his chance of putting Madrid back in front but the 24-year-old failed to convert the penalty into a goal with a somewhat tame effort. Alves’ clearance of the ball instead fell to substitute Karim Benzema who scored putting Madrid 3-2 up in the 84th minute.

Ronaldo did eventually get his goal in the 86th minute and was duly booked for taking his shirt off whilst celebrating his superb strike. But the game ended in controversy for the Portugal international as he was shown a red card in the latter stages of the match for kicking Juanma Ortiz.

The game ended 4-2 to Real Madrid and was an important victory more so because Barcelona also went on to win 3-1 at the Municipal de Riazor leaping them five points ahead of their arch-rivals having played one game more. But personally what was perhaps most interesting from the shower of goals at the Bernabéu on Saturday was the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo and his behaviour during the match.

Ronaldo is an interesting character. Clearly the man is a perfectionist – wanting to be the best at all that he does reflected in the fact that he failed to celebrate Benzema’s goal with the rest of his teammates choosing instead to brood over his penalty miss. Sky Sports journalists Graham Hunter and Guillem Balague had an interesting debate about this in today’s Revista de la Liga aired live on Sky Sports.

Guillem Balague took the stance that although Ronaldo is very much important to his team, shown by the fact that Madrid’s form did dip whilst he was injured, the Portugal international believes he is the best player in his team let alone in the football world. That slight air of self-importance results in impulsive and sometimes silly errors on the pitch such as falling prey to provocation and being cheaply sent off which in this instance means he will miss the crucial tie against Valencia at the Mestalla this coming weekend. Guillem thought that Ronaldo’s behaviour stems from Real Madrid lacking a sense of leadership.

On the other hand Graham Hunter felt that the 24-year-old has stepped up to the title of the world’s most expensive footballer, having taken on more of a leadership role in a team where there are ‘cowards’ hiding. The fact is that Ronaldo’s stats show it all. Cristiano averages a goal for Madrid every 89 minutes but has a shot on target every 11 minutes. No one can deny his importance to the team.

I personally think both journalists are right. I am a huge fan of Ronaldo and have been since his early years at Manchester United. His ability, his importance and future importance to Real Madrid cannot be doubted. He, like at United, will be a crucial player for Madrid if they want to gain honours this season and in the upcoming seasons.

I think Ronaldo needs to have some sort of self-importance and belief in his ability because it drives him to achieve more, and for Los Blancos this winning mentality is just what the club craves and requires in the attempt to equal or surpass what Barcelona achieved last season.

However without leadership and a strong sense of teamwork Ronaldo’s self-importance will not do any favours for his team exemplified by his sending-off against Almeria. Taking off his shirt, although favourable to many women, was a silly and easily avoidable booking. But passion drives many and so his celebration can be understood.

But with that yellow card to his name what was the need to kick Ortiz and be sent off? Did Ronaldo believe he would not be caught or did he simply not think? Guillem made a very good point when he exemplified this situation to what would have happened if it had occurred at Barcelona. Any player acting in such a way as Ronaldo did on Saturday would have got a good talking to from the senior players such as Iniesta or Xavi because it is in the team’s interest that such individual errors do not occur if they can be helped. Barcelona are a team effort and even though each player has their flash of brilliance, no less than 2009 Ballon d’Or winner Messi, they win together.

But it may just that for Ronaldo: an individual and one-time error. For Real Madrid to put on a strong performance and reproduce a shower of goals at the Mestalla against Valencia on Saturday the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo will not go unnoticed but it will be the chance for his team to show their quality.

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Tags: 2009 Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi and the world's most expensive player Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona are a team effort, El Clásico: Barcelona versus Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, Fernando Soriano goal in the 59th minute and added another just two minutes later when Kalu Uche's goal took Almeria 2-1 up over the Madridistas, Gonzalo Higuaín proved yet again to be Real's wonder man, Mestalla against Valencia, Sergio Ramos, Xavi Hernandez and Raúl, Zlatan Ibrahimovic