MISSING
Presumed Sulking
Cristiano Ronaldo
Missing since June 29, 2010
Reward: £80 million
If you have seen him, please call 1-800-MTROSXL
Look, I'll freely admit to having mocked Ronaldo's tears at EURO 2004, but at least that showed he cared about Portugal. Today, against Spain, he looked like he was being forced into playing for a Gulag XI. It started ominously when he was the one Portuguese player who wasn't singing the national anthem. He then proceeded to produce 90 minutes of utter anonymity. At one point he pulled rank on Simao in order to take a hopeless 40 yard free kick. And indeed, the only thing he did all game was to take Quixotic long range shots against his Real Madrid teammate Iker Casillas, arguably the best keeper in the world. Well that's not all he did, in fairness. He also looked disapprovingly at his teammates when they dared to be out of range of his poor crosses. I guess he also dove a few times too, though the referee was having none of it from either side; it's about time a referee figured out how these teams play.
It seems like a long time ago that people actually used to debate whether or not Messi or Ronaldo was the better player. On that performance, Ronaldo shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Messi. Perhaps Sir Alex has once again sold a player to Madrid at the exact right time. Ronaldo only contributed against North Korea, and you hardly have to be a world beater to do that.
In contrast, I thought the Portugal keeper Eduardo was absolutely outstanding, both as a player and as a representative of his country. As usual, he was belting "A Portuguesa" before the game. During the game, he pulled off a series of outstanding saves, and he was only beaten when David Villa slammed a rebound off the crossbar and in. After the game, he looked gutted, and deservedly so given the effort he put in. He's not a household name and he doesn't play for a big club, but he would be a good shout for the team of the tournament. He and young left-back Fábio Coentrão (and possibly Carvalho) were the only Portuguese players to come out of the World Cup with any credit.
It's onwards and upwards for Spain against Paraguay. Spain haven't really been tested in this tournament - fluke defeat against Switzerland notwithstanding - and given the evidence from earlier today, it will be an easy win over the South Americans.
It seems like a long time ago that people actually used to debate whether or not Messi or Ronaldo was the better player. On that performance, Ronaldo shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as Messi. Perhaps Sir Alex has once again sold a player to Madrid at the exact right time. Ronaldo only contributed against North Korea, and you hardly have to be a world beater to do that.
In contrast, I thought the Portugal keeper Eduardo was absolutely outstanding, both as a player and as a representative of his country. As usual, he was belting "A Portuguesa" before the game. During the game, he pulled off a series of outstanding saves, and he was only beaten when David Villa slammed a rebound off the crossbar and in. After the game, he looked gutted, and deservedly so given the effort he put in. He's not a household name and he doesn't play for a big club, but he would be a good shout for the team of the tournament. He and young left-back Fábio Coentrão (and possibly Carvalho) were the only Portuguese players to come out of the World Cup with any credit.
It's onwards and upwards for Spain against Paraguay. Spain haven't really been tested in this tournament - fluke defeat against Switzerland notwithstanding - and given the evidence from earlier today, it will be an easy win over the South Americans.
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