Sergio Ramos was handed his debut for PSG in the game against St Etienne, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the visitors. The goals started coming in after Timothee Kolodziejczack was sent off for a lunging challenge on Kylian Mbappe, who had broken free. After dragging his studs past Mbappe’s knee, there was no disputing the call.
Lionel Messi did not get on the scoresheet, but provided a hat-trick of assists in the game. He set up two goals for Marquinhos, and one for Argentina national teammate Angel Di Maria.
The Ballon d’Or is being awarded tomorrow, and Messi has clearly shown that he is the most complete forward out there, and can do much more than score goals. But, one picture that football fans would’ve never imagined is Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi playing in the same team.
Messi was the captain of Barcelona, while Ramos wore the armband for their arch rivals Real Madrid. The Spaniard has bullied Messi on the pitch time and time again, when the two teams have met. But they are both professionals of the highest level.
And that is exactly what we saw today, as the two rivals set aside their past differences to achieve a victory.
The concern for Mauricio Pochettino towards the end of the game, though, will be the situation of Neymar. The Brazilian had to be stretched off after a rather nasty looking injury, and will probably be out for a considerable amount of time.