Real Madrid vs PSG: 5 reasons why Ronaldo will outshine Neymar
Real Madrid versus Paris Saint-Germain is undoubtedly the glamour tie of the Champions League last 16. It is a conflict that intrigues on both a collective and individual level.
Collectively, it pits the most trophied team in European football against a monied upstart intent on eventually wrestling that crown from their grasp. And individually it provides a clash between a habitual Ballon d’Or winner and a younger player with designs upon becoming just that.
There are reasons to believe that PSG and Neymar will be capable of upsetting the order and coming out on the top, but even though they are both perhaps not enjoying the best of seasons, Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo should certainly not be discounted.
Ronaldo, in particular, will still be confident of asserting his supremacy over his young challenger.
Here are 5 reasons why Ronaldo will outshine Neymar.
#1 Real Madrid always turn it on in the Champions League
Real Madrid are not only the most successful team in the history of the Champions League / European Cup but one with an unmatchable record in recent years. They have won the competition in each of the last two seasons and in three of the last four. And they have made it through to at least the semi-final stage in each of the last seven.
They are a club who even when they are not performing particularly well domestically, always seem capable of raising their game on the Champions League stage.
While this tie has been billed as an individual battle between the occupant and pretender to the throne of the world’s best player, the truth is that the outcome of the tie will do much to colour perception as to which of the two players has outshone the other.
In that context, Madrid’s experience and consistently strong performances in the Champions League give Ronaldo a key advantage over Neymar.