Real Madrid turned over neighbours Atlético at the Vicente Calderón on Saturday night thanks to a hat-trick from world's best player-elect Cristiano Ronaldo.
The three-time World Player of the Year seems a shoo-in to move within one of arch nemesis/mucho-respeto mate Lionel Messi at the end of this year, particularly due to his nation's triumph at Euro 2016 - Portugal's first ever major international trophy.
Incidentally, footage emerged late last week of Ronaldo's post-game speech in Portugal's dressing room. Some enjoyed it; he was ecstatic, and thanked his teammates and his coaches. Others suggested it was vintage Ronaldo; he was thanking them for helping him to achieve Euro 2016 success, and making it all about him once more.
He speaks like a legend in a room full of mere mortalshttps://t.co/pzCmz81A3x
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) November 18, 2016
Our own Gavin Cooney penned his own thoughts on Ronaldo's self-voyeurism following Stephen Alkin's 'arrogance' comments during the Euros, but regardless of where you stand, the Real Madrid icon has and always will be a divisive character within the game.
It speaks volumes that last night, during his side's 3-0 win in which he scored every goal, Real Madrid fans were overjoyed by a tiny gesture Ronaldo made to Gareth Bale - a player whose relationship with the Portuguese forward has often been depicted as particularly icy.
Ronaldo's third goal arrived from a glorious cross from the Welshman, who typically wasn't acknowledged during the 31-year-old's celebrations, earning Ronaldo the usual weekend flak. It was prior to his second goal however, where his more human side would subsequently emerge in via replay footage. Chopped down as he bore down on goal, Ronaldo sat on the turf as Atléti's defenders remonstrated with the referee, and appeared to offer the penalty to Bale despite having earned it himself.
VIDEO : Quand Ronaldo demande à Bale s'il voulait tirer le penalty... pic.twitter.com/R2CiORna7w
— Real Maroc (@ReaIMaroc) November 20, 2016
Twitter's linguists suggested that Ronaldo asked Bale, "chutas?" ("shoot?") before the Welshman picked him off the canvas, though our own Pidgin Spanish and Lip-Reading Department have indicated that he may be asking "tu o yo?" ("you or me?").
In any case, it's clear Ronnie is offering the penalty to a man deemed his adversary by the Spanish media since his arrival in 2013, which when you consider his hunger for goals and general demeanour seems borderline unfathomable, particularly with the Ballon D'Or just around the corner.
Perhaps he's human after all.
