‘The Galactico project has aggrieved the grandest Galactico of all’

Not for the first time, Carlo Ancelotti's career threw up a curiosity, and an apparent anomaly. Although his Real Madrid are currently struggling in the domestic league in a way none of the other elite clubs are, they were the only one - other than Borussia Dortmund - to offer anything even close to a convincing display in the Champions League this week.

As so many others toiled or dropped points, Real absolutely battered Basel 5-1 in a win that seemed much more of a relief than it should have been.

That result itself throws up a few more questions, and not just why Ancelotti continues to perform better in Europe than he does in leagues.

First of all, there's the most immediate issue: Real's form. Will this win do as James Rodriguez suggested and steady the team to get back on track, or are the problems deeper? If the latter, then how deep?

From that, there's the second, longer-term question. It is one that precedes the recent form by over a year, but which is only exacerbated by the latest poor performances. It is the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The headlines of the last few days only follow a number of rumours doing the rounds for some time. Ronaldo is - not for the first time - broadly unhappy at Real. The contract he signed a year ago never completely quelled his unrest.

Back before then, around January 2013, the Portuguese's camp met with Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain and of course Manchester United. Ronaldo is now said to have settled on Old Trafford as the only destination he wants in the event of departing Real, and genuinely misses his old club.

The principles of a mega-deal were put in place in the summer of 2013, only for Alex Ferguson's retirement and Ronaldo's own situation at Real to put it off. Although United have since greatly bolstered their forward line, executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is understood to still see the purchase of Ronaldo as the type of signing that could make his tenure. There is also an undeniably romantic and emotional element to any possible transfer.

If it's on, United will likely make it happen.

(uk.eurosport.yahoo.com)

Bakudaily.Az