Real could face coach who says he was better than Ronaldo

ABU DHABI: Real Madrid’s biggest challenger at the Club World Cup will be a team with a Brazilian coach who says he played better than Cristiano Ronaldo.

European champions Real and South American champions Gremio, coached by former Brazil forward Renato Gaucho, are the favourites for the tournament featuring the champions of FIFA’s six continental confederations and the host nation’s league winner.

Renato Gaucho, a star for several Brazilian clubs in the 1980s and 90s, made headlines across Brazil not long ago after saying that “for sure” he played better than the Portugal star.

“I wanted to see Cristiano Ronaldo playing for the teams that I played in my time, many not paying salaries for three or four straight months, and to be a champion like I was,” the brash coach told ESPN Brasil earlier this year.

“I wanted to be playing for Real Madrid today, playing once a week, on great fields, and with the teammates that Ronaldo has. I really wanted to see that.”

The straight-forward coach said that there is “no doubt that Ronaldo is a great player,” but the Real star is “not as versatile” as he was when he played.

“Ronaldo has a lot of strength, he doesn’t have a lot of technique,” said the 55-year-old Renato Gaucho. “This current generation didn’t see me play. I guarantee that those who saw me play would have a different opinion (about who was a better player).”

A clever and resourceful forward, Renato Gaucho helped Gremio win the Intercontinental Cup in 1983, which was considered the world club title at the time.

He played more than 40 matches for Brazil, winning the 1989 Copa America and being part of the 1990 World Cup squad in Italy. He was dropped from the 1986 World Cup team for disciplinary reasons.

Renato Gaucho also briefly played for AS Roma in the late 1980s.

Real Madrid will be going for their third Club World Cup title in four seasons, looking to increase the dominance of Spanish teams.

Real won the title in 2014 and 2016, while Barcelona was the winner in 2009, 2011 and 2015. The Catalan club also was runner-up in 2006. European clubs have won the competition nine out of the last 10 times.

Real will have their league game at Leganes postponed, and their preparation for the much-anticipated clasico against Barcelona on Dec 23 will likely be affected.

Gremio and Real enter the Club World Cup only in the semi-finals.

This year’s competition kicked off on Wednesday with UAE league winners Al Jazira defeating Oceania champions Auckland City 1-0.

Al Jazira will play Asian champion Urawa Reds of Japan today, while Concacaf champions Pachuca of Mexico and African champions Wydad Casablanca of Morocco will meet in the other second-round match.

The final will be played on Dec 16 in Abu Dhabi.