Real coach Wanderley Luxemburgo will have
to decide before Tuesday's Champions League last 16 first leg clash
against Italian league leaders Juventus who will be his main target man.
Will it be three-times World Player of the Year Ronaldo or England
striker Michael Owen?
The final decision is likely to depend on whether the former Brazil boss
is still angry at his compatriot and former favourite, who he had a hand
in discovering and developing as a teenager.
Ronaldo was late for training twice last week, which incurred a fine, as
well as late for the launch of a book about Real Madrid president
Florentino Perez and he also returned from his wedding in Paris with a
bruised big toe.
Luxemburgo publically rebuked Ronaldo and he started on the bench for
Saturday's 2-0 loss to Athletic Bilbao.
However, Ronaldo issued a public plea for Luxemburgo to forgive him at a
press conference here on Monday.
"These are the sort of games that I love playing in, and I hope people
realise this," said the Brazilian superstar.
Luxemburgo may still opt for Owen up front, despite Ronaldo's repentance
and the fact that the former Liverpool player has started just two of
Real's eight league games since Luxemburgo's arrival in December.
Owen also started only two of Real's six group matches under former
coach Mariano Garcia Remon, but he was one of the few Real players to
emerge from Saturday's debacle against the Basques with any credit.
Ronaldo finally acknowledged on Monday that he has been out-of-form
recently.
"I've gone five league games without scoring but I've got a lot of
motivation to find the net again.
"I am not in my best form physically because I've got problems with a
big toe and that is worrying me a little.
"But I am hoping that the pain will disappear and I'll play," added
Ronaldo, whose collection of honours is still without a Champions League
winners' medal.
"It's a decisive game. We know that Juventus is a great team and is
coming to the Bernabeu to win but we are not worried about them.
"We only have to think about ourselves. Just because we lost on Saturday
doesn't mean that Juve are arriving at a bad time. After all we've won
seven out of our last eight games in the league.
"But we know we have to beat them otherwise the second leg will be very
complicated," added Ronaldo.
Despite going from hero to zero in Luxemburgo, and many Real fans', eyes
over recent weeks, Ronaldo has still managed to maintain his sense of
humour.
"Personally, I've got bad memories of Juventus," he reflected, when
asked to run the rule over Real's next opponents.
"I spent five years at Inter Milan and I never won an Italian league
title thanks to them," grinned the goofy-toothed Brazilian. |