Barcelona and Real Madrid share arguably the greatest rivalry in all of soccer. Not only are the two sides the fiercest rivals of all time, but they also feature the two best players of their generation.
On one end is Lionel Messi, the consummate star of Barcelona. On the opposite end of the battle is Cristiano Ronaldo. The two will renew their respective rivalry in at least two head-to-head matches. One of those games will be the Copa del Rey Final, which will take place on April 19.
Both players have had their fair share of memorable games against one another. Latinos Post will showcase a two-part feature, which examines these two superstars' best games against their hated rivals. The edition featuring Messi's top performances was published on Wednesday. Now we will take a look at Ronaldo's star turns for Real Madrid.
Copa del Rey Final 2010-11
This might be Ronaldo's most important match for Real Madrid to date. Pepe Guardiola's Barcelona reigned supreme and the two sides were slated to meet in the Champions League semifinals.
Many expected Guardiola to win the treble that year but something went completely wrong in the Copa del Rey final. Barcelona could not penetrate a stingy Madrid defense and the two sides went to extra time to decide the outcome. In the 103 minute Ronaldo headed home the goal that would end Barcelona's dreams of a treble.
Ronaldo has scored a number of big goals for Real Madrid, but none was bigger than that one.
Spanish League Match on April 21, 2012 at Barcelona
The Spanish League title still hung in the balance and Barcelona had a chance to regain momentum at home. Ronaldo seemed determined to help his team take complete control of the Spanish League race and played a terrific game. He created a plethora of opportunities for his team to score and was repeatedly stopped by goalie Victor Valdes. One early corner kick cross was met with a brilliant header from Ronaldo, but the ball skipped over the net. His team had a 1-0 lead at the 16 minute but Alexis Sanchez managed to tie the score in the 70th minute. However, Ronaldo would not be denied and scored just two minutes later off a breakaway. The result was a 2-1 win for Madrid that effectively gave them the Spanish League title.
Feb. 26, 2013 in the Copa del Rey semifinal Second Leg at Barcelona
Imagine this for a moment. Barcelona managed to steal an away goal in Madrid in the first leg and finished the first tie with a 1-1 draw. Blaugrana only needed a 0-0 draw to clinch a spot in the final. In the 12th minute, Ronaldo raced down the left wing and managed to dribble past Gerard Pique who took him down in the box. On the resulting penalty, Ronaldo made no mistakes and gave his team an important 2-1 aggregate lead. That goal would ultimately be enough but Ronaldo made sure that no one had any doubts when he scored the second goal of the game in the 57th minute after Angel Di Maria made a terrific effort on the left wing.
What were Messi's best Clasico performances? Click HERE.
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