Real Madrid icon Roberto Carlos believes the pressure on Barcelona to win the title is greater than it is on Los Blancos.
Carlos visited his old club over the weekend as Madrid dispatched Eibar before Barca gave up a two-goal lead in a draw with Sevilla, and pointed to the results as greatly encouraging for Carlo Ancelotti’s team.
“Last week everyone thought the League was over but with Madrid’s victory and Barca’s draw, it’s opened again,” he said, AS reports.
“We’ll be waiting to see who is the champion until the end of the season.
“I think Barca have more pressure on them. Madrid won the Champions League. And after what happened in Seville, there are some doubts around Barca.
“I spent Sunday morning in Valdebebas talking to people and they are calm and confident because the season is still good.
“I was talking to Marcelo, Iker [Casillas], [Sergio] Ramos, Fernando Hierro…they are my friends and they said they are confident.”
Carlos went on to discuss Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo, the former as a rival to his free-kick record and the latter his successor at left-back.
“That’s what I was talking to Cristiano about. We were joking around and I told him I’m the one who hits the ball hardest,” he revealed.
“To score so many free-kicks you have to practice a lot, get lucky…but when the No.1 in the world thanks me for everything I’ve contributed to football, that’s a source of pride for me and I don’t care if he scores more free-kicks than me.
“For me, he is the best in the world.
“Marcelo has a much higher quality than I did. I was always about speed and Marcelo is more skilful. He has more of the style of a midfielder and I was a wide player coming from deep because I knew the ball was going to come for me.
“Marcelo plays more with the ball because he has that high quality.”
Carlos was also asked about another Brazilian full-back – Danilo, who is to move to Santiago Bernabeu from Porto at the end of the season.
“Madrid have made a great signing. He is a player with a lot of class,” he said of the new arrival.
“He has won the League in Portugal, so he has experience as well.”
