This week saw the first leg of the semi-finals in the Champions League, the prestigious tournament that rewards the best soccer team in Europe. It’s a spectacle that brings together the continent’s best teams and their fans for a single purpose. It’s also big business for the clubs involved, with some €400m divided up between the 32 clubs that took part in the group stages – and some €330m in television rights to follow.
For 2011 the competition offers two beautiful matches: Manchester United versus Schalke 04, and Real Madrid against FC Barcelona.
The former, which sees the first meetings between these two clubs, is a true David-and-Goliath clash. On one hand, Manchester United are considered the best team in England and are well used to victory in Europe, with three Champions League titles to their name. Their opponents in Schalke 04 are the underdogs, who reached the semi-finals for the first time with their surprise defeat of Inter Milan by a 7-3 aggregate score.
Man United are the favorites if only because the second leg will be held at their home ground Old Trafford, where the atmosphere is always heated for the Red Devils. But they should be wary of Schalke 04, a team who even if not shining in their home league (they’re currently placed 10th) often radiate in the Champions League – particularly now with the addition of striker Raúl, a recent summer transfer from Real Madrid.
But all the attention will be on the other semi-final, the titanic battle between Spain’s top teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona – the latter considered the best club in the world, the former the richest.
El Clásico is always followed with attention by soccer fans because it’s a meeting between two leading philosophies of the game: the quick passing of Barcelona versus the pure talent of Real. It’s also a meeting between two players considered the best in the game, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The first leg this week was the teams’ third clash since 16 April, and came just days after Real’s victory in the Copa del Rey final – thanks to a last-minute goal by Ronaldo in extra time.
Yet despite this big win – their first in the tournament since 1993 – the Madrid club will be hoping for better luck than what befell them during the late-night Copa win celebrations, when right-back Sergio Ramos dropped the trophy from the top deck of their open-top bus and saw it crushed under the wheels.
