So, Ronaldo looks to be back to his old self, extending his record for Champions League goals and setting the record for goals in a Champions League group stage (11) Tuesday against Malmo.

Cristiano had an absurd four goals in thereabouts 20 minutes across end of the first half and beginning of the second half.

Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick pic.twitter.com/FlA2VdysaI

It's the season of giving, and what better way to highlight the season of giving than to shine a light on a gift given by one of the best to ever do it to another of the best to ever do it. A regular gift from a regular person is nice, but a Messi gift from Lionel Messi is twice as nice.

And when you are Ronaldinho, and Messi is a close personal friend of yours, a Messi gift is thrice as nice.

Here's what happened: Messi gave his buddy Ronaldinho a signed Lionel Messi Barcelona jersey, and Ronaldinho thanked his buddy Messi for the gift on Instagram and Twitter.

Barcelona have perhaps the greatest forward line ever assembled, but for how much longer?

According to The Sun (so take this information with however many grains of salt you feel are appropriate), Barcelona's wage bill is 73 percent of its total revenue.

The Sun also reported that Barca are planning a £423 million renovation of the Camp Nou.

They’re rivals on and off the pitch, but the latest edition of El Clasico has provoked controversy that pushed the tension between Barcelona and Real Madrid to a boiling point.

Barcelona are currently pursuing a case against Manolo Sanchís and Poli Rincon through the Anti-Violence Commission over comments the ex-Real players made about Isco’s horror tackle on Neymar in El Clasico. The Spain starlet was given a straight red card, Real Madrid lost El Clasico, and that should have been the end of it. 

Xavi Hernandez is a Barcelona legend. While in the Blaugrana, he won damn near everything there is to win. He retired on top, having been an integral part of Barca's treble win. This begs the question, though, now that Xavi is comfortably living out the early stages of his retirement in the Qatari league, where is the next Xavi? How will Barcelona replace one of the best players in its history?

It's said the apple does not fall far from the tree. In the case of Zinedine Zidane's son Luca Zidane, the apple fell very close to the tree, and on the way down it headbutted a Spaniard.

[#Insolite] Quand Luca Zidane se fait expulser après avoir "pété un plomb..." pic.twitter.com/P7jOu0UF2F

Neymar's astounding string of performances has managed to get him in the mix to be one of the top players in the world. Nonetheless, off-the-field issues keep the superstar's future very murky.

Perhaps the last Real Madrid great game, complete from beginning to end, was the Champions League semifinal against Bayern Munich in April 2014. Even though after that game Madrid won its 10th Champions League, the Fifa Club World Cup and had a 22-game win streak,  Real Madrid was gradually showing flaws that seem to have become more obvious during the past three weeks.

During the period from the Bayern game to now, the management, led by Florentino Perez, has committed a series of mistakes that may well lead to another trophyless season for los Blancos.

As successful as Barcelona have been with the current Messi, there is no doubt that they are constantly on the lookout for the next Messi.

And they just might have found what the're looking for in Carles Aleña, a 17-year-old Spaniard who plays for the Barcelona U-19s and has already trained with the first team because of injuries. There is serious speculation that he could be the next big thing out of the academy that produced Lionel Messi, Gerard Pique, Xavi Hernandes, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Thiago Motta, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro and Sergio Busquets. 

It’s long been said that opportunity makes the man, that the big occasion grants its greatest performer an indelible place amongst legends. In today's world of soccer, one man has become synonymous with such moments. Andres Iniesta has consistently provided for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team during their times of greatest need.