Real Madrid's two most loved forwards - Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo - will wear their country colours on Wednesday to face each other.
For Real Madrid fans, the Portugal v/s Wales Euro 2016 match is far more enthralling than just a semi-final. The club's two most loved players - Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo - will wear their country colours on Wednesday and will do everything feasible to reach the final.
For both the players and their teams, the match is highly important. Portugal's play so far has been criticised for failing to win a single match in 90 minutes during the course of the tournament. In fact, they've only led for three minutes in extra-time as well, when Ricardo Quaresma scored that late, late goal against Croatia. Portugal success has led some to question for the Euro 2016 format, even though they've done just about enough to be better than their opponents on that particular day. Wales, on the other hand, are living a fairytale. Having never qualified for quarterfinals before, the team is now going to face 'tournament favourites' - as Bale describes them - in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Madridistas world over are split on who to support in the awaited match - the most expensive player in the World or the three times Ballon d'Or winner. For them, it is a choice between Superman or Batman, Ice or Fire, Breaking Bad or Game of thrones.
via GIPHY
There's an added interest level because of the rumours that Bale and Ronaldo don't get along. The reports escalated in 2015, when Real Madrid did not perform up to its mark, with claims that Bale wasn't passing the ball to his BBC mates Benzema and Ronaldo. The trio's apparent lack of fraternal love was often compared to the more apparent chemistry between Barcelona's MSN - Messi, Suarez and Neymar.
However, Ronaldo and Bale have consistently denied any sort of tiff. Bale clarified to the press, "He speaks English, which helped me when I first came to Madrid. We also have that link from the Premier League. We get on really well. The press make a lot of things that maybe we don't but we get on fine."
Even though Portugal coach Fernando Santos and Bale have officially appealed to fans to not make this game about the two superstars, there's no denying that this is Ronaldo v/s Bale, with some believing that the this might be a passing-of-the-baton moment as Bale begins to eclipse Ronaldo.
The most recent example of club mates who faced each other as rivals at the final match of Group Stage Euro 2016 are Croatia's Luka Modric and Spain captain Sergio Ramos. The two Real Madrid players made headlines when Modric sent the 'secret message' to his fellow goalkeeper Danijel Subasic through captain Darijo Srna of where Ramos is most likely to take the penalty.
International rivalry and heated moments can have a huge impact on the players as well as the fans at club level. Not only are they more aware of each other's play and tactics, but they also know their weak and strong points.
This is not the first time that Ronaldo would be facing a club teammate. Another major international football incident that made a big impact on club mates is the infamous quarterfinal match of World Cup 2006 between England and Portugal.
Manchester United teammates Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo had an on-field tiff after the former stamped on Portugal's Ricardo Carvalho to which the Portuguese star protested. After Rooney received a red card, Ronaldo was seen winking at his teammates.
The 'wink' created such a media uproar that it not only overshadowed Rooney's stamp and England's defeat but also led to a lot of anger towards Ronaldo, who was booed and attacked a number of times by England fans. CR7 had said in an interview, "I don't regret what I did because when you play for your country, you defend your colours so... I didn't do nothing bad." The entire episode led to the belief that Rooney and Ronaldo would never get along and that the latter would move on to Real Madrid after the World Cup. However, Rooney displayed maturity beyond his years to show Ronaldo that he understood they were opponents when playing against each other. Interestingly, the post-spat Ronaldo emerged as one of the best players in the world as he helped Manchester United to three Premier League titles and also the UEFA Champions League, forming a deadly partnership with Rooney before moving on to Real Madrid in 2009.
The two pillars of RM, who have won two Champions League titles together in a span of three years, will have immense pressure on them. RM as well as Barcelona fans are going to find it very hard to decide which team to support, or in the case of the latter, which not to support.
May the best man and team win!
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}