Ronaldo Nazario has spoken to The Athletic about El Clásico. “The pressure of a Clásico can be compared to a World Cup,” he said. “The week of a Clásico is always a week lived with lots of pressure.”
In the Brazilian’s only season as a Barcelona player, in 1996-97, he scored against Madrid in the Copa del Rey and in La Liga. After returning to La Liga with Madrid in 2003, he scored four goals in six meetings with his previous team, including one at Barca’s Camp Nou stadium.
“I was always very committed to the team I was playing for,” he says. “Camp Nou is a spectacular stadium, but the Bernabéu is very impressive too.”
Since Cristiano Ronaldo left Madrid in 2018, Madrid forward Karim Benzema has led the team’s attack superbly, and Ronaldo says Benzema’s performances last season means he fully deserves to win the 2022 Ballon d’Or award.
“Benzema has dealt with all that very well. For years, he was in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow, but he has shown he is a great player who really deserves to win this Ballon d’Or. He has been playing well for many years, but this last season he was very decisive for Madrid. He returned to play with France too. He has the talent to deserve the Ballon d’Or,” he added.
GSFN
