Real v Barça v Ronaldo v Messi

La Liga is, has been and, for the foreseeable future, will be a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The contest to win the league’s golden boot is also dominated by one pair: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Why not combine the four parties into a four-horse face? Ronaldo and Messi are entered into the league as ‘teams’ and are awarded two points for every goal they score (they are still allowed to compete for their original clubs).

At the time of writing, Real Madrid and Ronaldo are in danger of pulling away and leaving us with two one-horse races and Valencia and Higuaín aren’t all that far away from Barça and Messi, but let’s not let facts get in our way.

As this will be updated as the season progresses, I’m leaving the graphing to Google. Click the tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet to see how the four ‘teams’ battled it out last season.

Behold: the excitement of the Liga title race has been doubled! In fact, it is probably even more than that as the possibility of internal conflicts emerges. For example; it is the closing seconds of the season. Real sit two points behind Messi and one behind Ronaldo and are being held at home to Mallorca when they win a penalty. Ronaldo places the ball on the spot when José Mourinho races onto the pitch demanding that someone else take the kick – if the Portugal captain scores, Real will gain no ground on him and finish second. Ronaldo refuses to relinquish the spot kick, he and Mourinho tussle, each trying to gouge an eye of the other’s, and are sent from the pitch. Kaká sends the penalty into the stands. Messi takes the title.