Real Madrid experimented with a new technique during their match against Almeria: synchronized throw-ins. Each with their own ball, Fabio Coentrao and James Rodriguez attempted side by side throw-ins at the same time, each targeting Pepe as the Almeria players seemed to say, “That’s not how this works!”
Cristiano Ronaldo was a little off target during warm-ups before the second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League quarterfinal against Atletico. As a result, he hit a young boy in the stands with an errant shot.
Ronaldo was visibly pained by the accident and watched closely as medical staff at the Bernabeu treated the boy. When his teammates headed back to the dressing room, Cristiano jogged over to the boy and handed him his shirt.
The kid was still in tears after that, but hopefully the realization that from then on he could always break the ice with strangers at parties by saying “I was hit by a Cristiano Ronaldo shot before a Champions League quarterfinal one time” helped the pain of getting smashed by a Ronaldo free kick go away.
Video via Bleacher Report
Real Madrid recovered from the loss of Gareth Bale in the fifth minute (and Luka Modric later on) to beat Malaga 3-1 and provide a few of the season’s most aesthetically satisfying moments.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored five goals in a single match for the first time in his career to help Real Madrid to a 9-1 win against Granada. His first three all came within a span of just eight minutes and from there it only got better.
These are the inner thoughts of Cristiano Ronaldo as he enjoyed his most prolific day…
With Barcelona up 1-0 late in their match against Celta Vigo, Sergio Busquets took his sweet time preparing to take a free kick. Celta’s Fabian Orellana did not appreciate what he perceived to be Busquets wasting time, so he picked up a chunk of the earth and threw it at him.
Some people allow themselves to be confined by convention. They do what’s normal, what’s expected. And others climb goal posts in a desperate bid to defend corner kicks at all costs.
If the whistles, jeers and car damage that come with being a Real Madrid Galactico prove to be too much for Gareth Bale, the Welshman might want to consider a second career in basketball. Read more
Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Camp Nou and judging by Neymar’s post-match Instagram photo, the Barca players celebrated the result by putting on their most ridiculous clubbing attire and piling into Uncle Leo Messi’s minivan for a night on the town.
Dani Alves wore his gold shoes, Neymar a red leather jacket, Adriano had on a denim one with gaudy cuff flair, Rafinha decided to be a hitman, and Douglas was a cross between Carlton Banks and a nightclub owner. Then there was Messi, who looked like he was dressed by his mother — perhaps fitting since he has a tattoo of her face on his shoulder.
Anyway, it’s good to see that the boys had a designated driver for the evening. And that Uncle Leo isn’t just sitting home with his Lego collection.
The impossible hype that consistently surrounds El Clasico should be enough to make the match itself a regular disappointment and yet it still lives up to the expectations almost every single time. A big part of this is the incomparable atmosphere. And Barcelona demonstrated this with their pre-match mosaic at the Camp Nou, accompanied by the 98,000 components of it singing their hearts out.
Though Luis Suarez has become an important member of Barcelona’s squad in his first season with the club, there’s something about him that remains distinctly…kickable. Teammates Neymar and Dani Alves demonstrated this during a recent training session.
This was surely just a bit of playfulness between teammates, but if Barca are looking for a new revenue stream, they could start charging members of the general public to play this game, too. They would never need a Qatari shirt sponsor again.
