Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo were teammates until a month ago. Now, two players whose careers have been intertwined for the last five seasons have stages to themselves – and with that, the responsibility to deliver.
At Real Madrid, Bale needs to show he can be the star now Ronaldo’s gone. For Ronaldo, a change of club after a shock transfer to Juventus comes with the pressure of delivering European club football’s biggest trophy.
There’s no wonder the duo top our list of the players under the most pressure heading into the new season. Here’s our top five…
GARETH BALE
Bale has been given the impossible task – step into Ronaldo’s shoes. The Portuguese star’s departure allows him to take centre-stage at Madrid, something he’s been aching to do for years. But that comes with a level of responsibility Bale has arguably never had.
He’ll have help from the talented squad around him – arguably, it’s Isco who’s set to be Real Madrid’s real star player. However, this season is all about whether Bale can deliver at anywhere near approaching Ronaldo level for Madrid.
Bale has to prove he can be the star player at a club of Madrid’s stature.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Speaking of Ronaldo…he has one mission at Juventus: win the Champions League. It’s not going to matter if his goals fire the club to a seventh straight Serie A title – they were favourites to do that before he joined. That domestic dominance has made European glory the holy grail.
He needs that trophy for himself, too. Ronaldo may just win the Ballon d’Or at the end of this season because of his exploits from last season, but he’s not winning any more just by helping Juventus win another league title. It’s Champions League or bust for both club and player, and Ronaldo will back himself to deliver.
Moving to Juventus comes with its own pressure for Ronaldo.
PAUL POGBA
It’s almost ridiculous to think that a player whose performances were vital to his country winning a World Cup has anything left to prove. Yet Pogba must know unless he can replicate that standard with Manchester United, questions will continue to be asked.
And the Frenchman will be aware the truth in manager Jose Mourinho‘s comments – as tough as it is to star at a World Cup, the environment made it easier for him. Can he do that over a whole season, with all the distractions the modern-day club footballer has to deal with?
Winning the World Cup won’t be enough to silence Pogba’s critics.
MESUT OZIL
Arsenal‘s Ozil received some unfair and harsh criticism thanks to Germany’s shock group-stage exit at the World Cup – and that’s before taking into account the over-the-line comments from fans and pundits which were racially charged.
It is admirable he has withdrawn himself from consideration for the national side until the racism he’s experience is dealt with. Players should be allowed to take principled stands like that.
However, he has also put the spotlight on himself. If he can’t be consistently brilliant for the Gunners, he’ll be criticised again – and the focus will be solely on his play, rather than anyone else’s poor behaviour towards him.
Ozil has to put the World Cup behind him.
NEYMAR
This World Cup was supposed to be a redemption tour for Neymar after the heartbreak of Brazil 2014. But his side’s quarter-final exit has put the pressure squarely back on his shoulders. Although he showed glimpses of his prodigious talent, he rarely looked like a top-three player in the world, which is where he was when he moved to Paris Saint-Germain a year ago.
Not to mention, much like Ronaldo at Juve this year, Neymar was bought by his club with the Champions League trophy in mind. He was injured in between the first and leg of PSG’s Round of 16 tie against Real Madrid last season – but the side still lost the first leg with him in their XI.
Delivering a better result will reestablish his reputation, and put the pain of this summer behind him.
The spotlight is always on Neymar.
