Medals remain only goal

DESPITE the various dramatic strands swirling around Real Madrid and Barcelona this season, it was astonishing how much of it got reduced to a simple duel between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the European Golden Shoe.

Less astonishing, however, was the manner in which the emphasis shifted in the Spanish media once Barcelona eliminated Real from the Champions League.

The Madrid press became conspicuously obsessed with the amount of goals Ronaldo could eventually get, the Catalans with the amount of trophies Messi’s would inspire.