The early morning hours have brought a new example of the tension that can be felt in international soccer this summer. Real Madrid edged past Juventus last night, in a match that was more practical than brilliant, while Manchester City and Inter said an early goodbye to the Club World Cup in two knockouts that nobody expected. As expected, the white victory was not only celebrated on the field: Tomás Roncero was once again a main figure on El Chiringuito with a speech that once again puts the spotlight on the eternal rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.
The match against Juventus was marked by tension and a lack of clear chances. Gonzalo's goal, the only one on the scoreboard, helps keep Real Madrid's hopes alive in a tournament where they've put in a lot of effort. In fact, they're probably the European team giving it the most importance. However, Xabi Alonso's side still haven't shown that sense of absolute dominance that the fans demand so much. The next step will be Borussia Dortmund in the quarterfinals.
Roncero's speech: Barça targeted and a defense of global Madridism
In his appearance on El Chiringuito, Tomás Roncero once again delivered headlines that quickly went viral. The journalist used the "Nico Williams soap opera" as an excuse to attack Barça and divert attention from the white team's current events: "He might drag it out until the 13th, so they don't look at the small screen and don't start to realize their harsh reality in this month of July that they didn't expect".
For Roncero, Real Madrid are "focused on their own business," highlighting the merit of reaching the Club World Cup quarterfinals while others, like Barça, can only dream of reaching that stage. "We're already among the eight best teams in the world. If everything goes well, we'll soon be among the top four," he stated, in a speech that mixed pride, irony, and a clear intention to claim the current moment for Madridists.
His criticism was not limited to the eternal rival. There was also room to point out the early elimination of other big names in European soccer: "This World Cup started with Cholo's Atleti out in the first round. Then it continued with Leo Messi, FIFA's mega-protected... 4-0. Out as well. Guardiola, since we knew he was the favorite because he was on the good side of the bracket, Al-Hilal scored 4 goals against him".
The highlight of the speech came with the reference to the "white tide" and the universality of Real Madrid: "There were 60,000 white jerseys singing Real Madrid's anthem. The whole world, whether we like it or not, supports Real Madrid. In the United States, they support Real Madrid. What fault do I have?"