BARCELONA: Cristiano Ronaldo has made his claim. Now he has to live up to it.
Ronaldo will face Lionel Messi tomorrow for the first time since the Portugal forward declared himself “the best player in the history” of football after equaling the Argentine’s five Ballon d’Or awards this month.
Basking in the spotlight of a glitzy ceremony under the Eiffel Tower, Ronaldo felt confident enough to put himself at the pinnacle of the sport, ahead of Messi and other greats like Pele and Diego Maradona.
“You will go and say that I have a big head, but when you’re at the top, it’s normal that you’re criticized,” he told France Football. “I am the best player in history, in both good and bad times.”
Personalities aside, Ronaldo has a tough case to make.
He and Messi both have four Champions League titles, but Messi’s eight Spanish league titles double Ronaldo’s tally for Madrid and Manchester United.
Messi also has the edge in their head-to-head duels. Messi has outscored Ronaldo 19-17 since Ronaldo joined Madrid in 2009. Before that, Messi scored in a 2-0 win over Ronaldo’s Manchester United in the 2009 Champions League final.
The Barcelona-led Messi have also had a clear advantage over Ronaldo’s Madrid. Messi has helped Barcelona beat Ronaldo’s side 13 times, to eight wins for Madrid and seven draws.
Overall, Messi holds the “clasico” record with 24 goals in 36 matches. Ronaldo is one goal shy of matching Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano’s 18 goals against Barcelona.
The camera-shy Messi insisted again this Monday when he was recognized for leading the Spanish league in goals last campaign that he put more value on team titles than individual honors.
“Titles are our goal,” Messi said. “If individual statistics are there also, that’s even better, but they are not the objective.”
Ronaldo has no doubt closed the gap with Messi after he led Madrid to back-to-back Champions League titles in the past two seasons. But for Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres, this past decade is still set to bear Messi’s mark.
“If it wasn’t for (Ronaldo), Messi would have won twice as much,” Torres said on Wednesday. “What Ronaldo has done in the age of Messi says a lot about him.”
Ronaldo will need to be at his best tomorrow because anything other than a victory will deal a huge blow to Madrid’s title defense before the season even reaches its midway point.
Real enter the match in fourth place and trailing Barcelona by a mammoth 11 with a match in hand. Atletico Madrid and Valencia are in second and third.
“Given the situation we are in we are obligated to win,” Madrid defender Sergio Ramos said.
Messi had one of his most memorable performances at Madrid last season when he scored his second of two brilliant goals in stoppage time to silence the Santiago Bernabeu.
Madrid got revenge with wins of 3-1 and 2-0 in the Spanish Super Cup in August, when Barcelona were reeling from the departure of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde, however, quickly rallied his team and the Catalan club have not lost since, a run of 24 matches. With Neymar gone, Valverde has succeeded in tightening up Barcelona’s defense.
“It would be important to win for everything that would represent, since the match is so special, and we are playing at their ground,” Messi said. “There would still be a long way to go for the league title, but a victory would be a nice before the Christmas break.”
Time for Cristiano Ronaldo to back up ‘greatest’ talk against Lionel Messi in ‘El Clasico’
Time for Cristiano Ronaldo to back up ‘greatest’ talk against Lionel Messi in ‘El Clasico’
Jeddah set for Fanatec GT World Challenge race
- Anticipated SAL Jeddah Race, which will be held for the first time in the Kingdom on Nov. 29-30, will feature two major motorsport races and cover 1,000 km
- Iconic manufacturers taking part include Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes AMG, BMW M Sport, Audi Sport and Ford
JEDDAH: Jeddah is all set for the final round of the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe on Friday when a 49-car field tackles a six-hour Endurance Cup race at Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The anticipated SAL Jeddah Race, which will be held for the first time in the Kingdom on Nov. 29-30, will feature two major motorsport races and cover 1,000 km, making it the longest circuit race in Saudi history.
Iconic manufacturers taking part include Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Mercedes AMG, BMW M Sport, Audi Sport and Ford.
The GT4 European Series, supported by RAFA Racing Club, will feature four competitive categories, promising an exciting spectacle for motorsport enthusiasts in Saudi Arabia:
Pro: A showcase for the world’s finest drivers and teams vying for top honors.
Gold: Designed to cultivate and elevate emerging driving talents.
Silver: A competitive platform featuring a mix of amateur and semi-professional drivers.
Bronze: A unique category combining experienced professionals with promising young drivers, offering a valuable learning experience.
Saudi Logistics Services, the official title sponsor for the Jeddah GT Race 2024, announced on Monday the arrival of more than 70 cars from the ports of Barcelona and Valencia in Spain to the port of Jeddah.
The SAL Jeddah GT Race is an endurance racing event that encourages drivers to push their maximum limits and test their stamina, strategy and reliability throughout the intense competition.
The event’s fan zone includes live entertainment and fun activities for families, as well as food festivals.
Messi’s son debuts at Argentina youth tournament as grandparents watch
- The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team
- Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play
BUENOS AIRES: Thiago Messi, the eldest son of the Argentina star, has made his debut in the “Newell’s Cup” tournament in the countryside city of Rosario.
The 12-year-old Messi played with the No. 10 jersey of an Inter Miami youth team, which lost 1-0 on Monday to host Newell’s Old Boys in the traditional under-13 competition. The team also played Tuesday.
Lionel Messi took his first steps as a footballer in the Argentinian club in Rosario, 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of capital Buenos Aires.
Thiago’s mother, Antonela Roccuzzo, and several members of his family, including grandparents Jorge Messi and Celia Cuccittini, were in the stands to watch him play. Lionel Messi did not attend.
Thiago, who was substituted in the second half, played with his friend Benjamin Suarez, son of Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, Messi’s teammate and close friend at Barcelona and now at Inter Miami.
Messi and Suarez are in Rosario after Inter Miami’s early elimination in the MLS playoffs. On Sunday, they watched a friendly game of Inter Miami’s U13 team against Union at the same sports complex.
The youth tournament in Argentina brings together eight teams from North and South America.
Salah ‘in a good place’ at Liverpool despite contract impasse, says Slot
- Slot: The only thing I can say is that if I look at my lineups, Mo is more in than out
- The latest contracts of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also due to expire at the end of this season
LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Arne Slot believes Mohamed Salah is “in a good place” and isn’t affected by his contract impasse with the club.
Salah’s latest deal expires at the end of this season and he told reporters after Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Southampton on Sunday that he was disappointed not to have received a new contract offer, saying: “I’m probably more out than in.”
The issue dominated Liverpool’s news conference ahead of Wednesday’s match against Real Madrid in the Champions League, with Slot keen to play down any friction with Salah — and even suggested the situation is making the winger play as well as ever.
“I don’t think it distracts Mo at all,” Slot said Tuesday. “Maybe it even brings the best out of him if you look at his performances until now.
“I talk to Mo about what I expect from him, like I do with all the other players, and he is in a good place at the moment. I’m not distracted by his comments and I don’t feel his teammates are.”
Salah has scored 12 goals in 18 appearances for Liverpool this season and is second in the Premier League with 10 goals in 12 games, only behind Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (12 goals).
Slot even quipped: “The only thing I can say is that if I look at my lineups, Mo is more in than out.”
The latest contracts of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also due to expire at the end of this season.
“In fairness, it goes for all three of them — Mo, Virgil and Trent are all in similar positions,” Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said. “Every one of them is so focused on the next game and training and preparing properly.”
Giannis-less Bucks edge Heat, Rockets advance in NBA Cup
- Lillard hit 10-of-17 from the floor and 8-of-13 from 3-point range while passing off 12 assists as the Bucks improved to 3-0 in group play
- All 30 league clubs play for the NBA Cup in an in-season tournament with teams divided into six groups of five for round-robin play in hopes of advancing to December knockout rounds
WASHINGTON: Damian Lillard scored 37 points to lead Milwaukee to victory at Miami 106-103 in the NBA Cup on Tuesday despite playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a knee injury.
Lillard hit 10-of-17 from the floor and 8-of-13 from 3-point range while passing off 12 assists as the Bucks improved to 3-0 in group play while the Heat slid to 1-2 and never led.
“It’s a game of runs. I got off to a hot start,” Lillard said. “I didn’t try to force the issue. I didn’t want to be passive. I tried to stay aggressive. I was getting the ball out. We just made good plays.”
All 30 league clubs play for the NBA Cup in an in-season tournament with teams divided into six groups of five for round-robin play in hopes of advancing to December knockout rounds with games also counting in the regular-season standings.
The Houston Rockets qualified for the quarter-finals but the surprise was in Miami, where Greek star Antetokounmpo was a late scratch with a left knee injury, leaving Lillard to take the scoring load.
A 26-9 Heat run to end the third quarter cut a 22-point Milwaukee lead to 85-80 entering the fourth and a 16-7 Miami run lifted the hosts level at 96-96 with 4:02 to play.
Milwaukee’s A.J. Green and Miami’s Terry Rozier traded 3-pointers late, the last by Rozier lifting the Heat within 104-103 with 30 seconds remaining.
Green sank another 3-pointer but it was launched just after a shot-clock violation and wiped out, giving Miami the ball with five seconds to play.
Miami’s Tyler Herro missed a 3-point shot and Milwaukee’s Taurean Prince sank two free throws with 1.2 seconds left, setting the stage for a Rozier 3-point miss at the buzzer.
“Guys made shots, played aggressive, we got some stops when we needed it, we made some free throws and that’s what it takes to win close games,” Lillard said.
“We’ve just had a lot of experience in these games where we have lulls in the second half and get into a dogfight. We let a few go early in the season... everybody wants to improve. We want to get right from the jump and I think we’re starting to show that down the stretch in these games.”
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 23 points.
Houston became the second team to clinch an NBA Cup quarterfinal berth, winning 115-111 in overtime at Minnesota to seal the West Group A crown. Golden State has already sealed the West Group C title.
Turkish center Alperen Sengun had a triple double with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists to spark Houston, which got 27 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds from Fred VanVleet and 22 points from Dillon Brooks.
Reserve Amen Thompson’s basket with 38 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter lifted Houston level at 102-102.
Thompson sank a 3-pointer to ignite an 11-0 Houston overtime run as baskets by Jabari Smith, Brooks and two from Sengun brought the Rockets a 113-105 lead with 54 seconds remaining.
The Timberwolves, led by 29 points from Anthony Edwards, never got within four after that.
French star Victor Wembanyama scored 24 of his game-high 34 points in the first half to spark the San Antonio Spurs to a 128-115 victory at Utah, eliminating the Jazz’s title hopes.
Phoenix stars Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal returned from calf strains to spark the Suns over the defending NBA Cup champion Los Angeles Lakers 127-100.
Devin Booker had 26 points and 10 assists to lead the Suns while Beal and Durant each added 23 points in their comeback contests.
“Felt great,” Durant said. “We needed this win. Long as we continue to be healthy we’ll be fine.”
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points and 15 rebounds while LeBron James had 18 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in the first Cup loss ever for the Lakers.
A 22-6 run gave the Suns a 98-78 lead entering the fourth quarter and the Lakers never threatened again.
Chicago’s Coby White scored 21 points and Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and 12 rebounds to power the Bulls over host Washington 127-108.
ICC to decide fate of Pakistan’s Champions Trophy on Friday
- India has declined to play in Pakistan over security concerns, which the hosts have dismissed
- Last year, when Pakistan hosted Asia Cup, India’s matches were played outside the country
KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) will meet this week to determine the destiny of next year’s Champions Trophy after India refused to play in host nation Pakistan, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Earlier this month, the ICC informed the Pakistan Cricket Board that India would not tour Pakistan for the eight-team tournament, leaving the fate of the event hanging in the balance.
The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and that rivalry is often reflected on the cricket field.
A spokesman for the ICC based in Dubai told AFP they could “confirm an ICC meeting on Friday” where the issue will be on the agenda, without providing further details.
The PCB has already rejected proposals that would allow India to play in a neutral third country, insisting the full schedule from February 19 to March 9 must be staged on their turf.
India’s cricket board has not commented on the tournament.
Deteriorating political ties mean bitter rivals India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral cricket series for over a decade — squaring off only in ICC multi-nation events.
Pakistan suffered a years-long drought of matches at home as teams refused to visit after a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore. International play only fully resumed in 2020.
When Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup, India’s matches were played outside the country.
But Pakistani cricket chiefs have rejected security fears for the Champions Trophy, pointing to their recent successful hosting of top teams including Australia, England, and South Africa.
The Champions Trophy will be the first ICC event staged in Pakistan since it co-hosted the 1996 World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
