Cristiano Ronaldo has been called a more ‘individualistic’ player than Barcelona rival Leo Messi by Wolfburg’s sporting director, Klaus Aloffs. However the German noted that Real Madrid actually benefit from Ronaldo’s selfishness, opining that Messi can afford to be altruistic because of the players around him.
Aloffs was being quizzed by Spanish outlet Diario AS ahead of Real Madrid’s crucial tie with Wolfsburg, and revealed his opinion about Ronaldo, saying “I was asked the other day on German television about Messi and Cristiano. They are two incredible players. In these cases, you have to see which players they have around them.”
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“With Messi, for instance, he has Luis Suarez. Ronaldo plays more for himself, but his magnificent statistics help the team get a result. That's why he scores so many.”
Ronaldo has scored 30 goals this season, and tops the race for the European Golden shoe with 60 points, while Messi lags behind him. However, since the Argentine spent two months of the season injured, it is perhaps understandable that he has not scored as much as Ronaldo, although Messi is currently in his worst scoring drought in 5 years, having failed to score in 362 minutes.
Real Madrid and Wolfsburg could be a Champions League classic
Ronaldo will have to be at his selfish best when Real Madrid take on Wolfsburg in the UEFA Champions League tonight. Los Blancos lost by 2-0 goals in the first leg away to the Bundesliga side, and will have to make history as they have never overturned a two goal deficit from the first leg in the Champions League era.
With VFL Wolfsburg having the advantage, Aloffs remains cautiously optimistic, however is circumspect about refereeing decisions in the Champions League, saying “In the Bernabeu many things can happen. Things will happen that we cannot yet imagine, incorrect refereeing decisions, for example.”
“This is not certain, but it can happen and we must be prepared.”
Given that Real Madrid have been encouraging their fans to make the Santiago Bernabeu a cauldron of noise, with both Ronaldo and Zidane specifically asking the notoriouslly demanding Madridistas to make it a ‘magical night’, it seems likely that the referee will face a mountain of pressure with every decision he makes.
If however, Wolfsburg go with the odds and manage to beat Real Madrid, they will make the semifinals of the Champions League for the very first time.
