Some players show their winning mentality through their spectacular performances; others, like Arturo Vidal, take the word literally and put their mark on their opponents. In truth, the warrior spirit exists in every footballer, or athlete for that matter. A player who wants to be the top-dog in his or her domain has to summon their warrior spirit when situations call for it.
Here we take a look at five instances when footballers summoned their warrior spirit and the fans absolutely loved it. Note that this list is in no particular order.
Cristiano Ronaldo versus Atletico Madrid (2019)
If there is one player who personifies hard work and an undying spirit of victory, that player is the five-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Over the years, the Portuguese superstar has had many great individual club performances, scoring goals in important matches, such as the UEFA Champions League finals.
However, the performance that stands out the most in his club career is his hat-trick against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid after the superstar’s move to Turin.
In the Round of 16 stage of the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League campaign, Atletico Madrid had beaten Ronaldo’s Juventus 2-0 in the first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.
The match ended in controversial circumstances as Atletico manager Diego Simeone celebrated his team’s goal in vulgar fashion, showing his cojones or nuts. Balls.
All eyes were on the Juventus stadium for the return leg. In stepped Cristiano Ronaldo.
His first goal came in the 27th minute via a Federico Bernardeschi cross, which he headed home. The first thing Ronaldo did after getting up was to rouse the Juve fans.
His second goal came at a crucial time, just three minutes into the second half, again via a cross, this time from Joao Cancelo. The goal was ruled out initially but Goal Line Technology came to Ronaldo’s rescue. It put the aggregate score to 2-2, but extra time looked unlikely.
A third goal from the penalty spot in the 86th minute sealed the deal for the Bianconeri. It was Cristiano Ronaldo’s first hat-trick in Juventus colors, and he celebrated in style by paying back the cojones to Simeone.
This was a game that Ronaldo won almost single-handedly, and serves as a good example of why many consider him to be the one of the greatest players of all time.
Lionel Messi versus Arsenal FC (2010)
Lionel Messi and Barcelona have become synonymous with each other. Over the years Messi has had some outstanding performances for Barcelona; performances that have made him undoubtedly the greatest club player of all time.
It is therefore a near impossible task to pick out one warrior-like performance from the little genius. Also, the term “warrior” may not fit directly with Messi’s diminutive nature, for the Barcelona number 10 likes his performances to speak for themselves.
However, Lionel Messi’s performance against Arsenal in the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg at the Camp Nou stands out. The first leg at the Emirates Stadium finished 2-2, and a semi-final place was up for grabs.
It was a performance about which TV host Andy Gray said: “You are watching a special, special performance, even by this young man’s standards.” It was a performance in which all of his great qualities came to the fore.
The first goal came in the 21st minute, when a misplaced ball from Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre came to Messi, who hit it hard past Manuel Almunia.
If the first goal was a piledriver, his second was a delicate chip with his right foot that once again left the hapless Almunia wondering what he had done to deserve such a treatment.
His incredible first half hat-trick was completed in the 42nd minute when Seydou Keita headed him a pass that Messi took into his stride and scored a superb lofted goal with his left foot.
Messi’s great performance was not over though. Just two minutes before the end of the match, he scored again, this time between the legs of the Arsenal goalkeeper.
It was a match that showed why Messi had won the Ballon d’Or last year in 2009, and such performances would become a perennial theme throughout the rest of his Barcelona career.
Lionel Messi versus Real Madrid (2017)
If Lionel Messi’s performance against Arsenal was the display of his ‘warrior spirit’ through sheer footballing quality, his performance against Real Madrid in Luis Enrique’s final El Clasico at the Bernabeu showed his evolution as a player and as a person.
Gone was the boyish charm. This was a 30-year-old veteran who had seen many great upheavals in his footballing career for the last few years.
It was a match that required blood (literally), sweat and guts, and the Argentine genius was in no mood to end up second best. This was a match in which Messi became the “warrior”, as a player and in his outlook.
Even before a goal was scored, Marcelo left Messi bloodied and with a broken tooth in the 20th minute with a generous swipe of his elbow. It was a horrible sight to behold.
To make matters worse, Real scored via a Casemiro goal, and it seemed as if the La Liga title would already be wrapped up at the end of the game. However, Messi had other ideas.
Just four minutes later, he slalomed past a trail of Real defenders, took a delicate touch with his right foot to escape Dani Carvajal’s attentions, and slotted the ball past Keylor Navas. 1-1.
Throughout the game, Real ensured that Messi was kept at bay. They resorted to aggressive tactics, which began early when Casemiro was booked in the 11th minute for a tackle from behind on Messi. Sergio Ramos perhaps wanted to remove Messi from the game with a horror tackle in the 77th minute. But instead, it was he who was sent off while Messi escaped the full thrust of the challenge.
It was a game that ebbed and flowed, and Ivan Rakitic’s spectacular strike was later equalized in the 85th minute by James Rodriguez. It seemed Real would take a point after all. But no.
With the last kick of the game, in the 93rd minute, Lionel Messi scored from a first time shot from a ball provided by his good friend Jordi Alba. The rest was history.
The match will always be etched in football fans’ memories because of Messi’s celebration, in which he held his shirt out to say: “Remember the name.” What a way to score your 500th goal for Barcelona!
It was arguably the most memorable El Clasico moment of all time, apart from a pig’s head thrown at Luis Figo.
Steven Gerrard versus AC Milan (2005)
When it comes to summoning the “warrior spirit”, few players did it as consistently as Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard. Fans still recall with nostalgia his screamers from distance, most notably the one against Olympiakos in the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League that secured their progression to the Round of 16. (“What a hit son! What a hit!”)
However, it was Stevie G’s role in that edition’s final against AC Milan at Istanbul that would go down as one of the most important, “warrior-like” performances in his career. At half time, Liverpool were 3-0 down. It was a final whose destiny already looked settled.
Later, in an interview to UEFA, Steven Gerrard said: “When you’re 3-0 down to AC Milan you look at the opposition. You’ve got Pirlo, Seedorf, Kaka, Shevchenko, Crespo; every position they’ve got the best players in the world.
"We were the underdogs; we weren’t as good as them. But we were getting a lot of noise from our supporters coming down the tunnel that it wasn’t over and they were still supporting us."
It was the spark that Gerrard needed. And it was enough.
Great “warrior spirit” performances are not always about scoring hat-tricks or playing a crucial pass. Sometimes it is about rousing the rest of your teammates when the going gets tough. And how much more difficult can it get when you are 3-0 down in a Champions League final?
It was Gerrard who scored Liverpool’s first goal after half-time.
From 3-0 down, it became 3-1. A three-goal disadvantage became a two-goal disadvantage. Suddenly, it seemed possible. As Gerrard said later the effect his goal had on his teammates:
“A little bit of hope, a little bit of relief. The fans went wild and I could see it on my teammates’ faces that you know that it was the start of a bit of belief.”
Two more goals from Vladimir Smicer (56th minute) and Xabi Alonso (60th minute) restored Liverpool parity in a space of just six minutes. And although Milan had their chances, Liverpool goalie Jerzy Dudek was at his spectacular best. His double saves in the 117th minute of extra time from Andriy Shevchenko perhaps the most important contribution from his teammates. Gerrard remarked that “the save was probably the biggest defensive moment in the game.”
Liverpool went on to win 3-2 on penalties. And Gerard the “warrior” made all the difference.
Didier Drogba versus Bayern Munich (2012)
It was supposed to be Didier Drogba’s final match in a Chelsea shirt. It was the Champions League final. And it was played against Bayern Munich, in Munich, in their own backyard.
The writing was there on the wall for Chelsea. They had absolutely no chance against the overwhelming favorites from Germany.
As far as ‘warrior spirit’ went, few players embodied it better than Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba. In truth, the final in Munich was one of his most memorable performances in Chelsea colors.
Bayern had many chances throughout the game, and they finally scored via a Thomas Muller header in the 83rd minute. But Didier Drogba is not your average footballer. Summoning his “warrior” spirit, he scored a superb header of his own from a Juan Mata corner on the brink of the final whistle. It was 1-1. Extra time.
Drogba would once again find himself in the center when his foul on Frank Ribery in the box gave a penalty away to Bayern. It was a striker’s challenge, as Drogba was looking to help his team out defensively.
Drogba was spared of any blame, thanks to Petr Cech’s save from Arjen Robben’s spot kick. It was shaping up to be the Ivorian’s lucky day.
The match went to penalties, and who stepped up to take Chelsea’s final kick? Didier Drogba. It was his chance to seal Chelsea an unlikely Champions League victory against Bayern Munich in their own backyard. A chance he took, in what was, as Clive Tyldesley put it, “the greatest night in Chelsea’s history.”
On the importance of Drogba’s headed goal, Frank Lampard said: “Didier was man enough and had enough quality to step up and put that header away, which is a header I don’t think any other player in world football could have made at that time.
“[It] is very difficult to be able to produce something so important in moments like that. That is what makes the best so special. And thank you to Didier for making it so special for us.”
And what's your favourite clutch moment in modern football history? Please share your views in the comments!
