Neymar, Messi, Bale and Ronaldo Watch
This week of football turned out to be very eventful for the stars of La Liga. Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo put countless goals past the opposition while Neymar and Lionel Messi played more of a supportive role at Barcelona.
In this article we will take a quick look at how the week went for the biggest names in La Liga. Be sure to get involved in the conversation below and tell us who you think had the best week among the four stars.
*Note all statistics are courtesy of WhoScored.com
Neymar
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Though Barcelona played twice this week, Neymar only featured in the second match. The Catalan derby was daunting as always, but the Brazilian was up for the challenge.
For what seems like the hundredth time in a row Neymar was the most dangerous player on the pitch.
His keen awareness for finding space and creating chances made things very tough for Espanyol while his eye for goal made him a constant threat. He may not have scored, but Neymar did everything else.
The 21-year-old was quite possibly the most important player for Barcelona this week because of what he did during the Catalan derby.
With time slowly running out and neither side having scored, the Brazilian passed the ball through two defender’s legs to assist Alexis Sanchez on the only goal of the match.
The assist and goal won the derby for Barcelona and kept their strong lead atop the La Liga table intact. It was yet another impressive display for Neymar and a week to remember for sure.
Lionel Messi
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This was a very quiet week for Lionel Messi as far as scoring goals. But don’t be fooled, he was just as important as ever.
Messi competed in both of Barcelona’s matches this week. In the club’s 3-0 win over Celta Vigo, Messi assisted one goal and had several shots incredibly saved to keep his name off the score sheet.
The Barcelona star was a bit quieter in the Catalan derby.
Messi played a much more supportive role against Espanyol. He passed the ball well and linked up play, but nothing was more important that what he did without the ball.
It became very apparent that he was aware of how heavily marked he was going to be throughout the night and used that to his advantage by pulling defenders out of position to create space for teammates.
However, Messi's hunger for goal was still evident. The Argentine had over 15 shots this week and won just under 12 dribbles over the two matches. He was looking to beat the keeper.
Many will be worried that Messi has now gone a few matches without scoring, but he has played an important role in every one of those games. The goals are sure to come and the best players know how to contribute in a plethora of ways.
Gareth Bale
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Gareth Bale made his much-anticipated home debut against Sevilla this week. Let’s just say it was a debut to be remembered.
The world’s most expensive player opened the scoring for Real Madrid with a beautiful left-footed curling shot, but that was just the beginning.
Bale went on to finish the match with a brace as well as two assists. He received a perfect score from WhoScored.com and man-of-the-match honors showing just how big of a night it was for the Welshman.
The second match of the week was not quite as a thrilling for Bale, yet it was still very impressive.
The 24-year-old again gave two assists on the night and was a menace running down the right wing. Rayo Vallecano had no answer for the winger and struggled to deal with his pace and speed.
All statistics aside this was a massive week for Bale. After struggling with fitness problems, he played all 90 minutes of both matches and showed just what he can do when healthy.
If this week was any indicator, Bale is set to achieve massive things at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Cristiano Ronaldo
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Just when you thought Bale had the biggest week of any player in La Liga, teammate Cristiano Ronaldo puts him to the test.
Ronaldo had a massive week playing in both games for Real Madrid and scoring a lot of goals. He showed he can not only play alongside Bale, he can thrive with the Welshman on the pitch.
In the win over Sevilla, Ronaldo scored three goals with one being a penalty. He was in incredible form and was a headache for the defense throughout the entire match.
A few days later, Real Madrid saw off Rayo Vallecano in a match that saw Ronaldo score two more goals to end his week with a total of five strikes.
The Ballon d’Or is quickly approaching and Ronaldo seems to be fully aware. His performance this week was nothing short of sublime and he was certainly on the warpath after FIFA President Sepp Blatter admitted that he prefers Lionel Messi in an interview at the Oxford Union reported by The Telegraph.
Nobody wins when comparing these four giants of football, but it is safe to say that this week belongs to Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Next week, who knows?
What do you make of each player’s performances this week? Who stood out in La Liga? Leave your thoughts and comments below!
Tre’ Atkinson. Follow me on Twitter for more discussions on La Liga!
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