I don’t normally watch much Spanish football because, quite frankly, it bores me but I decided to check in on a couple of the teams last night who lead the betting for this season’s Champions League (prompted by a little conversation I had had with Red Football Guru earlier in the day).

First up was Barcalona who travelled to Almeria. Barca were two points clear at the top of La Liga and were thoroughly expected to beat Almeria but it was Almeria who took a shock 1-0 lead. No panic for Barca though and they plodded on but as the half drew towards a close, things were starting to look a bit desperate until they were awarded a free-kick just outside the area and up stepped Messi.

The free kick he took showed just why he is such a great player. Most players, perhaps younger players, would have hit the free kick with pace but Messi showed incredible composure and maturity to rely on his skill and basically dinked the ball into the net with hardly any pace. The Almeria keeper was rooted to the spot and could only stand and shake his head in disbelief.

So, the second half started and Barca were expected to go on and press home their superiority but Almeria again took the lead via a Puyol own goal. Normal order was resumed a few minutes later however when Messi again brought Barca level. Barca huffed and puffed for the remainder of the match but were unable to break the deadlock and Almeria took a well deserved point from the match.

Immediately after this match, Real Madrid were up against Sevilla at the Bernabeu.

They knew that a win in this match would take them top of the table.

Imagine the scene then when Sevilla went 1-0 up after just ten minutes. Like Barca, there were no panic stations but Real could not seem to break down the strong and organised Sevilla defence. 1-0 at half time what could they do in the second half?

Well, whatever they had planned, it didn’t work and it was a complete stunner when Sevilla stretched their lead to 2-0 after 53 minutes.

This was where Real Madrid got impressive though and what happened in the next forty minutes has me believing that they are not only the team to beat in Spain now but in Europe too.

I hate to admit it but it was Ronaldo who inspired the comeback and got one back after 60 minutes and then Ramos brought the scores level after 64 minutes. Higuain could have scored a couple of his own but luck deserted him. It was basically wave after wave of attack from Real Madrid as they battered Sevilla looking for the winner.

Sevilla looked like they had been poking a sleeping Rottweiler with a stick and it had suddenly woken up, very angry and had broken free of its chain. In other words: Brown trousers time.

With the clock running out and the referee twiddling with his whistle, Real eventuall got the third for a remarkable 3-2 win.

And I thought Spanish football was boring! This was one of the best matches I have seen all season.

The thing that struck me about Real Madrid though their never say die attitude. They played to the final whistle. They left gaps at the back but such was their control and possession that Sevilla never had the opportunity to exploit them and besides, it is hard to hit back when you’re a cowering wreck huddled up in a corner.

Dare I say it? The way Real Madrid played to get themselves back into this one was not a million miles away from the Manchester United spirit of 1999 when we blew away everything in our path on the way to the Treble.

I know that you can’t judge a team on one performance (anyone who saw our performance against Wolves yesterday would hardly be going overboard on our own chances in the Champions League this season) but if this is squeaky bum time in England and Spain then it looks like Real Madrid are coping with it better.

I think the winner of the Champions League will come from us three (I would normally include Chelsea in the mix but with Hilarious in goal, they are looking very vulnerable at the moment – if they can sneak through against Inter Milan and get their players back, they might be back in business though) but Real are looking the better, I have to admit.

We have Rooney, Barca have Messi and Real have Ronaldo. Three of the best who can single-handedly change the course of a game but behind them, I just feel that Real have more.