Every single battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel
Messi is unique. They never disappoint nor do they ever
cease to amaze.
They lead two immense armies, both of which have won
countless clashes in the past. They only come face to face a
few times each year meaning it is victories on other fronts
that see each player spur the other on. They have taken
innumerable prisoners over the years with their record-
breaking play yet it is when the two are on the same pitch
that the battle produces the biggest explosions.
How can a team game, a colossal battle, a Real Madrid v
Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu, be reduced to a duel
between Ronaldo and Messi? That is how it is.
It has happened on other occasions in sport that two athletes
elevate their personal battle to a level far above the teams
involved, regardless of their size. Ask any Lakers or Celtics
supporters if they enjoyed the Magic Johnson v Larry Bird
rivalry in the 1980s.
No matter how many times they lock horns, both players
consistently reinvent themselves. Tomorrow we will not see
the same Ronaldo and Messi that collided for the first time in
2008, when the Portuguese star was still a Red Devil. More
than six years have gone by in which a myriad of bullets have
been shot without either man being proclaimed the definitive
winner of the war.

Funny enough, the stars on the night might be neymar and james since bale is out injured