Paul Gardner of the New York Sun takes a look back what was a particularly eventful weekend in Spain and Italy. In Italy, Ronaldo made his AC Milan debut in a 2-1 win for the home side. He didn’t score, but he didn’t play half bad, either. League leader Inter walked through the motions to beat Chievo Verona, 2-0, in a game that was distinguishable only for the eerie silence that pervaded Chievo’s empty stadium. Indeed, it’s strange to watch a professional match where you can actually hear the ball rustle the back of the net.
The big story, of course, was the return of David Beckham. It certainly seemed the stuff of Hollywood: player banned, singled out as the cause of the team’s failures, recalled after mounting pressure from players, fans and the media. Beckham scored on his return, of course, and Madrid won, but this one was especially sweet, not only because the goal brought Madrid back into a match where it was playing badly, but also because his goal probably saved his biggest detractor’s job; Real coach Fabio Capello surely would have been fired in the event of a draw or a loss.
Elsewhere in Spain, Ronaldinho also silenced his critics, who accused him of being off-form, scoring two fantastic goals to ease Barcelona past Racing Santander, 2-0. His first goal was an unstoppable free kick any specialist would have been exceedingly proud of; his second, a powerful header following a perfect delivery from Deco.