Pochettino joining in training: Nutmegs Winks, but more importantly, it shows Rose back in training. Not ready for tonight and possibly misses out on Boro, but should be back soon, apparently.
Bayern won absolutely everything in the 2012/13 season and yet Ronaldo and Messi were 1 and 2. They annihilated the Argentinian's side 7-0 in the Champions League semi-final. Real won nothing and Barca only won their domestic title.
Messi got 60 goals in 50 games, Ronaldo 55 in 55, including 11 in 10 CL games where he was the outstanding individual player. Bayern were an outstanding team, but did they have any better individuals? Neuer, Muller, Lahm, Schweinsteiger? It struggle to make out a case for any of them in direct comparison to Messi or Ronaldo
How do you compare a goalscorer to a creative or holding midfielder though, let alone a goalkeeper? How does 21 clean sheets in 34 league games compare to 60 goals? Ronaldo and Messi were the focal points of very, very good teams, so they're going to look good and score goals. They were vastly overshadowed that season anyway, yet one of them walked away with the individual award, despite winning nothing else. Who watched all of these games to judge it? Nobody.
It's always been the way. Players like those two are game changers and will always catch the eye. Defenders doing their jobs well is far less noticeable - and not very sexy at all.
There's now going to be a bunch of pictures of handsome defenders posted in reply. I agree with your point, but that's what makes the whole thing so pointless. It's basically the High Scorer At A Big Club Award. I think that there are enough of them already, frankly.
So my day involved a virtual reality David Attenborough and bumping into Scroobius Pip (who was wearing a Jeff Goldblum t-shirt) in Covent Garden
"Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were."