By Tim Stannard
It's time to chose the blue pill or the red pill again.
Swallow the blue pill and be comforted by an all-encompassing virtual environment, shared by hundreds of millions across the world, where the harsh reality of life cannot intrude but at the cost of your mental nutrients. Take the red pill and life is...grim.
Sports Burst has necked its own blue pill and is embracing Messi vs. Ronaldo: Resurrections. For the past few years, the strength of this obsessive universe had died off allowing people to notice important stuff that actually matters and argue about that instead. It hasn't gone well for the world.
But these destabilizing debates cannot be allowed to continue, so the forever-squabble of who kicks a round ball better, Messi or Ronaldo, has returned like a comfortable blanket of peace.
Both players have uprooted into new mega-projects this summer - PSG and Manchester United. Both players are expected to deliver the Champions League for their new teams and both have already begun scoring a lot of goals.
Messi got the ball rolling - into the back of the net - last Thursday with a hattrick for Argentina. Ronaldo responded two days later with a brace on his United reboot.
The Parisian squad for #CLUPSG! 📋🔴🔵
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) September 14, 2021
🏆@ChampionsLeague pic.twitter.com/GFkueaopv7
The dueling duo should be back in business this week in the return of the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo is facing Young Boys today, while Messi travels to Belgium to take on Bruges on Wednesday, having sat out last Saturday's PSG win over Clermont Foot.
😁 Cristiano Ronaldo enters @ManUtd training with a smile ahead of Young Boys in #UCL pic.twitter.com/G1ytlXYl8z
— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) September 13, 2021
Take that blue pill and sink into the soothing alternate reality of Messi vs. Ronaldo.
👁 Catch Lionel Messi making his home debut for PSG vs. Lyon live on Sunday on beIN SPORTS from 2:30PM ET / 11:30 AM PT. 📺
Koeman backtrack on "future of the club" claim
Elsewhere in the Champions League restart today, a mega-battle has broken out in what would normally be the calm waters of the group stages with Barcelona hosting Bayern Munich. As per the norm at Barcelona, matters off the pitch dominate with Ronald Koeman and Joan Laporta talking to the press about who is the rutting alpha male at the club.
Koeman had suggested it was himself booming that "the club has a future thanks to me." Well, he 'clarified' a little on Monday claiming what he meant was that he "gives opportunities to the young players who are the future of the club."
On the pitch, with injuries to Martin Braithwaite and Sergio Aguero, then Camp Nou should see an epic duel between Luuk de Jong and Robert Lewandowski. Sports Burst might be stretching 'epic' here although Bayern coach, Julian Nagelsmann, was polite in opining on a Barcelona without Leo Messi - "I'm not of the opinion that they are a lot worse off now."
