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La Liga Focus - Ronaldo sees red
Events in Madrid have dominated La Liga after Cristiano Ronaldo’s flailing arm left Malaga’s Patrick Mtiliga with a broken nose and the Portuguese winger with his second dismissal in as many months.
It is certainly not Ronaldo’s first transgression. Most will remember his lunge at Andrew Cole in the Manchester derby back in 2004, while the 2007/08 campaign started with a straight red card for a headbutt on Portsmouth's Richard Hughes. But does a career total of six red cards detract from an otherwise sublime footballer? Patrick Vieira (13 career reds), Zinedine Zidane (12) and Roy Keane (11) would all surely disagree. The offence itself would have caused few to raise such tenuous eyebrows, but after his dismissal against Almería less than six weeks ago, many in Spain have come to question the 24-year old’s temperament. Marca columnist Roberto Palomar described the incident as his “Umpteenth act of idiocy this season,” while the headlines: “Angel and demon” (La Razon) and “Hero and Villain” (El Pais) were typical of the criticism leveled at the Portuguese winger.
The player himself has done little to calm the storm. Instead of accepting the punishment, Ronaldo reacted to the sending-off by quite literally falling to the floor with laughter before eventually walking off the pitch. Since then, he has claimed that the red card was “excessive” and a “disgrace” while Real Madrid have also come in for sustained criticism at their handling of the affair, having launched an appeal to have the red card rescinded. Appealing against a red card is an old practice, but Madrid’s case to the Spanish football federation (RFEF) included video footage of a similar incident involving Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, in which he tried to free himself from the grasp of a Sevilla defender in the sides’ last meeting. Trying to have your player’s red card overturned is one thing, but dragging the best player in the world, the poster-boy for fair play and ultra-professionalism, into the mire is entirely another. Barcelona midfielder Xavi defended his teammate. He said: “Leo is the number one and you can't damage his image in any way. He's humble, hard-working and always thinks about the group. Not like other footballers.”
And with that, a simple, flailing arm has turned into one of the biggest talking points of the season. The foul and subsequent sending off are both relatively questionable (although there did seem to be clear intent), but Ronaldo and Madrid’s bullish handling of the incident has drawn criticism from all quarters of the Spanish press and re-kindled tensions with their fierce, Catalan rivals. Aside from any damage caused to their public image, Madrid must also deal with the prospect of losing their most important player for two matches. During Ronaldo’s 10-match lay-off after sustaining an ankle injury against Marseille earlier in the campaign, Los Blancos were sensationally dumped out of the Copa Del Rey by minnows Alcorcon, beaten by both AC Milan and Sevilla and held at Sporting Gijón. Of course, two games pale in comparison to such a lengthy period of absence, but it meant that Madrid travelled to the Estadio Riazor to face a rejuvenated Deportivo La Coruña side on Saturday without the services of the most expensive player in footballing history, before repeating the task against Espanyol at the Bernabéu.
The situation will be a welcome sight for Barcelona, whose lead at the top of the table is five points. But before the Ronaldo commotion, Spanish football had been focused on events in the Catalan capital. More specifically, it has been their dynamic Coach, Pep Guardiola, who has been the centre of attention. For amidst all the success, his future remains relatively uncertain. A one-year contract extension was agreed last week, but speculation as to Guardiola’s future remains the key issue at the forefront of Spain’s footballing fraternity. For many, the notion of leaving the best team in the world seems almost laughable. The former club captain, who was part of Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’, has transformed Barcelona from a group of bickering egos into one of the most exciting, entertaining and effective football teams to have ever graced the pitch, winning every competition they entered last season. But while on paper his position at the club seems assured, beneath the surface there is an underlying sense of malcontent.
It has been claimed that Guardiola seeks a new challenge, in Italy or possibly England. Many pundits claim that he is waiting for Sir Alex Ferguson to retire at Old Trafford before taking over at Manchester United. Some claim Arsenal or Chelsea may be his preferred destination, with Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague claiming he “privately dreams of a life in London.” But in reality, only Guardiola himself knows where his future lies. The next few months could shape the next few years in the world of Spanish football. The future of Real Madrid Coach Manuel Pellegrini will most surely be one of uncertainty should Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence cause further on-field troubles for Los Blancos, while the future of Pep Guardiola is even less clear, with the looming Barcelona presidential elections due to take place in March. The world awaits.
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