Two Real Madrid players I greatly respect

I have been a supporter of FC Barcelona since ’99 (so you don’t get to call me a glory hunter). For some strange reason, when we mention we support Barcelona, people always accuse us of being Real Madrid haters. Sure, we do dislike Real Madrid. They are our arch rivals, and there is always going to be a rivalry. That is the fun in football! But saying we hate their team is downright stupidity on their part. I don’t hate Real Madrid, but I respect them as a club, and as our rivals. You will never see me stoop as low as to insult a player, though I may insult the fans (most of whom seem to be glory hunters, both clubs included)

So I will name two players I greatly respect, one of whom I am an ardent fan.

Iker Casillas

He is the best goalkeeper I have ever seen, and I have seen Edwin van der Sar play. Casillas is not just fantastic between the posts, he is a terrific captain too. He can keep his team under control, and nothing is more exemplified by the way he led Spain, consisting of players mostly from arch rivals, to play together and win two Euros and a world cup! He is the main reason people don’t score a lot of goals against Real Madrid, at least in my opinion. He is not impenetrable like a wall, but he comes pretty close. He has the aerial ability of Superman and the agility of Spiderman. So yes, I think Iker Casillas can be classified as a superhuman. He is a fantastic goalkeeper but more than that a fantastic captain, and is undoubtedly one of the legends of club and national football. He played beautifully in the 2010 world cup, consistently denying the Netherlands, with the likes of Sneijder, Robben and Persie. And I don’t hide the fact that I am a fan of Casillas, though I support him in the ‘La Roja’ rather than the ‘Los blancos’.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Well, this is to be expected, isn’t it? Few people don’t know about Ronaldo, and anybody who thinks he cannot play football is basically a disgrace to the sport. Cristiano Ronaldo is a fantastic player, and a prolific scorer as well. Sure, the argument is always going to be there as to who is better, Ronaldo or Messi. But whatever side you decide to take, the end result is that Ronaldo is always, always in the top two. So he is a fantastic player and has a vast plethora of tricks up his sleeves. I think he is brilliant; he is to Real Madrid what Messi is to Barcelona. Of course, I hate it when he scores against my team; but that is to be expected. Ye,t I don’t hate Ronaldo as a player. In fact, I quite admire him, both on field and off field.

So there you have two players from our arch rivals whom I greatly respect. I respect the whole Real Madrid team and though I will never be a fan, I think they deserve respect even from Barcelona fans. Football is not a game of hate and insults; none of the fans have any right to say a syllable against Messi or Ronaldo or any decent player for that matter. Football is a game of respect. Of course, there will always be fans who will find harsh words to say. But they are not real fans, so their words do not even count. Just enjoy the game.