madristar

Stankovic wants Kaka at Inter Inter Milan midfielder Dejan Stankovic would love play with Kaka and thinks the move is not as unlikely as some think. Kaka has been linked with the Serie A champions in the past month or so. Although the talk had been dismissed as mere rumours by the club hierarchy, Stankovic says Kaka's arrival at the San Siro is well within the realms of possibility. In comments quoted by SkySport24, the treble winner said: "Why shouldn't I believe in such a move? "He is a champion, and if the possibility arises, it will be up to the president and his team. "We must also remember he played for Milan, and he is a person of high morals and ethics. A person of his calibre would be wonderful to play alongside. "After Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to Milan, nothing surprises me anymore." Ibrahimovic played for Inter for three years, before arriving at Milan after a year at Barcelona. Kaka on the other hand played for the Rossoneri for six years before sealing a move to Real Madrid. The 28-year-old has failed to reprise his form at the Bernabeu and it is rumoured that he is not an important part of Jose Mourinho's plans for the los Blancos.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!! his sons are ADORABLE!!

A scene from their wedding... shopping

Mourinho keen to sign Zidane Jose Mourinho is keen to add Zinedine Zidane to his team of coaching staff at Spanish giants Real Madrid. The Bernabeu legend has won every title possible in club football with the Los Merengues and has been focusing on his role as advisor to club president Florentino Perez this term. The three-time world player of the year has attracted the attention of Mourinho who now wants him to come onboard as a coach. Speaking to French TV, "I would like to have him more with me and less with the president,' Mourinho, who joined Real during the close season, "I don't think he wants to become a coach but I would still like to have him with me," said Mourinho. Can Madrid wrestle the La Liga title away from Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona side this season?

From Kaka's twitter,his brother Digao and a fan

FOR EL PAIS REPORTAJE: EXTRA HOMBRE Xabi Alonso La perla del barrio del Antiguo, en San Sebastián. Un futbolista que cualquiera querría en su equipo. Discreto, sensato y solidario, este vasco de 28 años se ha convertido en un elemento fundamental de la selección española y de su equipo, el Real Madrid. El triunfo de una elegancia tranquila. Los hermanos Alonso, Mikel y Xabi, jugaban en la playa de la Concha, en San Sebastián, una mañana del verano de 1990; Julio Medem buscaba desesperado un niño pelirrojo, de complexión fuerte, con cara de vasco, de unos once años, que le encajara para el papel infantil del protagonista de Vacas, la que habría de ser su ópera prima. Y lo encontró, ahí estaba el Peru que él había imaginado. Xabi todavía se ríe al recordarlo. Pero en ausencia del aita, de Periko -"andaría entrenando", cree recordar Mikel-, la decisión la asumió Isabel, la amatxo, que declinó la invitación educadamente. El papel de Peru niño, finalmente, lo interpretó Miguel Angel García, y Xabi Alonso Olano (Tolosa, 1981) siguió jugando al fútbol. Nunca le importó, porque nunca quiso ser una estrella, y menos del cine; de hecho, hasta los 17 años, cuando debutó en el primer equipo de la Real Sociedad de la mano de Javier Clemente, ni siquiera se planteó ser futbolista profesional. Hoy es campeón del mundo, parte fundamental de la selección española, un equipo que ha roto moldes más allá del terreno de juego, juega en el Real Madrid y vive en el barrio de Salamanca. "Primero probé vivir en Pozuelo", explica Alonso. Duró dos meses. "Para lo que nos gusta a mí y a mi mujer, nos encajaba más el centro, por nuestra manera de vivir, nos va más el tema urbano. Así que nos mudamos y estamos muy felices: Madrid es maravillosa". Al principio, claro, los vecinos se sorprendían, ya no; la costumbre ha hecho desaparecer la inicial sorpresa hasta convertir en indiferencia el hecho cotidiano de encontrarlo en la barra del bar de la esquina, tomando un café antes de irse a entrenar, saliendo de la tienda de ultramarinos o comprando el periódico en el quiosco. "Yo es que soy muy de barrio. Mi mujer y yo estábamos acostumbrados a vivir así en San Sebastián, en Liverpool, y así vivimos en Madrid. No tiene mucho mérito, la verdad, es lo que hemos hecho toda la vida", se justifica. Las raíces de Xabi hay que buscarlas junto al río Oria, en el corazón de Guipúzcoa, en el Goierri; por parte de padre, Periko Alonso -futbolista, 20 veces internacional, campeón de la Liga con la Real Sociedad en 1980 y 1981 y con el Barcelona en 1986-, la referencia es Tolosa; por parte de madre, Isabel Olano, Orendain, unos pocos kilómetros al norte, en el caserío Okaingorro. Xabi nació en Tolosa, vivió sus primeros seis meses en Ibarra, muy cerca, y cuando su padre fichó por el Barça, la familia se instaló cerca de la Diagonal. Allí vivieron seis años, los tres que Periko jugó en el Barça y los tres que militó en el Sabadell, así que los primeros recuerdos de Xabi se refieren a Barcelona, especialmente a la guardería Caperucita Roja y a Flora, su profesora. "Si hay niños mordedores y niños mordidos, yo era del tipo mordedor... pero muy mordedor", asume Xabi, que guarda otra imagen imborrable de aquellos años en Catalunya: la primera vez que entró en un vestuario profesional. Fue en la Nova Creu Alta, en Sabadell. "Iba tan contento con mi bandera, la pisé y caí rodando por las escaleras de la tribuna". Mikel, su hermano, un año mayor y también futbolista -Athletic, Real, Sumancia, Bolton, ahora en el Tenerife...- asume que, de niños, eran una pareja de cuidado. "Bueno, ya sabes, un día tenía uno la idea, al siguiente el otro la mejoraba", se ríe Xabi. Los dos recuerdan con especial afecto los veranos en el caserío de Okaingorro, cazando lagartijas, robando en el gallinero de casa los huevos que luego lanzaban al paso de los coches en la carretera cercana, y pasando muchas horas con su abuelo. La infancia de los dos estuvo marcada por el fútbol, pero en contra de lo que podía suponerse siendo su padre ex futbolista y entrenador, en casa se hablaba poco de este deporte. "En casa mandaba mi madre, faltaría más. En Euskadi mandan las mujeres, ¿no sabías? Y a mi madre lo que le importaba era que estudiáramos", recuerda Xabi, que fue alumno de la ikastola Ikuntza, donde suspendió un examen de lengua castellana y lo pagó caro. "Mi madre me tuvo un mes castigado sin fútbol", recuerda, todavía con cierto lamento. Xabi ejerce de donostiarra abiertamente: jugó al fútbol en la playa de la Concha, es miembro de dos sociedades gastronómicas, la del Antiguo, el barrio donde vivió siempre, y la del Sauce, por un amigo de la cuadrilla, donde le conocen por Bone... "San Sebastián es mi ciudad, allí me crié, allí empecé a jugar, a ir al fútbol", resume. En San Sebastián, claro, conoció a Nagore Aramburu, su esposa, la madre de sus dos hijos, Jon, que nació el 11 de marzo de 2008 en Liverpool, y Ane, nacida en Madrid el 30 de marzo de 2010. Pero a los 22 años hizo las maletas y se marchó a Liverpool. Llevaba tres temporadas en Primera con la Real Sociedad -había sido subcampeón de Liga y jugado una Champions- y 15 partidos con la selección. Era evidente que había llegado la hora de cambiar de aires. Por eso, Iñaki Ibáñez, algo más que su representante -ya era asesor de su padre cuando Xabi era un crío- cerró un acuerdo con el Madrid. Florentino Pérez, por el contrario, no fue capaz de ponerse de acuerdo con José Luis Astiazarán, presidente del conjunto donostiarra: solo estaba dispuesto a pagar quince millones y le pedían tres más. Embebido en su trabajo, Ibáñez no paró hasta abrirle otra puerta a Xabi: la de Anfield. "Empezó siendo una aventura y ahora sé que cambió mi vida", reconoce Xabi, que considera los años que pasó a orillas del Mersey como un referente vital, más allá de lo futbolístico, más allá de la victoria en la inolvidable final de la Champions de 2005 contra el Milan, cuando el Liverpool perdía un 3-0 en el descanso, remontó y terminó ganando en los penaltis, más allá del inolvidable partido el 15 de abril del 2009, el día que se cumplían 20 años de la tragedia de Hillsborough, cuando murieron 96 seguidores reds en el campo del Sheffield. "En Liverpool aprendí a afrontar problemas que en casa, en San Sebastián, ni me había planteado", reconoce ahora cuando rememora el traslado. Nagore, que había trabajado en una tienda de moda en San Sebastián, hacía en ese momento de figurinista para la película ¡Aupa Etxebeste!, de Asier Altuna y Telmo Esnal. Cuando terminó el rodaje, se fue a Liverpool, donde Xabi llevaba ya dos meses, y se puso a trabajar en un hotel en el centro, muy cerca de su casa en los docks. Xabi, que trató de seguir estudiando la carrera de ingeniería, lo dejó en tercero, poco antes de que naciera su primer hijo, en circunstancias que hablan de la manera de entender la vida de Xabi, que se enfrentó a Rafa Benítez, su entrenador, por acompañar a su esposa en el trance. "En realidad, no pasó nada grave", avisa. "El sábado jugamos contra el Newcastle, y el domingo Nagore rompió aguas. El lunes tenía que viajar a Milán para jugar la Champions y le dije al míster que si quería, me incorporaría cuando naciera el niño", explica. "No te puedo esperar", le contestó su entrenador. Xabi dice que lo entendió, pero se quedó en Liverpool. "Benítez nunca me obligó a ir a Milán, sabía que me hubiera quedado", desvela el centrocampista. Hablar de Liverpool le emociona. Creció viendo partidos en Atotxa junto a su abuelo paterno y Karlos Arguiñano, que tenía los asientos a su lado, así que tiene un gusto muy particular por el fútbol. Por eso, seguramente, no duda: "Anfield es el templo. Puede parecer exagerado, pero para mí es el campo más maravilloso del mundo", asegura. Más allá de eso, y asumiendo que Liverpool es una ciudad dura, dice que contagia vitalidad: "A Liverpool le da sentido el carácter de la gente, mayoritariamente trabajadores, gente curtida, que padeció enormemente los años del tacherismo, cuando se cerraron los astilleros. Entonces se generó un estigma de orgullo que sigue vigente. La gente está acostumbrada a pelear por lo que cree, y ese carácter te contagia. Yo me sentí muy bien allí". ¿Por qué se fue? Seguramente había llegado la hora y el Madrid llamaba, otra vez, a la puerta. Fue algo meramente futbolístico, porque en Inglaterra estaba tan a gusto que ni la comida era un problema. No pasaba semana sin que algún amigo o familiar se acercara a verle con las maletas cargadas de alubias, verduras frescas y hasta tejas de Tolosa. Incluso algunos consiguieron colar chuletones, conscientes que para Xabi pocas cosas hay más importantes que comer bien. "Soy vasco, en algo se tenía que notar", bromea. "Comer me gusta incluso excesivamente", conviene. Y cocinar, también. Su gran fracaso a los fogones es la paella. "Me sale mal, fatal, un desastre. Me hubiera gustado, porque me encanta, pero no le pillo el punto". Asume que las cosas sencillas son las más complicadas, y dice que maneja el horno con soltura, ya sea para guisar una dorada o un rodaballo "con sofrito suave, con aceite, vinagre y ajito... me encanta. Al final, con eso tan básico, o con un buen pollo asado con lechuga, me quedo más que contento". Xabi admite que la gran oferta gastronómica de Madrid le tiene a mal traer. "Me pierde. No tengo manías, como de todo, y en ese sentido Madrid no te lo acabas: cocina de mercado, japonesa, china, más elaborada, menos... me da igual, me gusta mucho comer. Tanto que he tenido que cortar porque no puedo andar de jamada cada día, y Madrid tiene una oferta buenísima". Da su consejo: "Para comer buena carne y pimientos del piquillo, Casa Julián de Tolosa, en la Cava Baja; verdura de la buena, en La Manduca de Azagra, en la calle de Sagasta; ¿un japonés?, el Kabuki, en el Wellington. Y para cocidos y fabes, al Paraguas". Y avisa. "Si es para comer, acepto sugerencias, siempre estoy abierto a conocer cosas nuevas". No le pasa lo mismo con la ropa. "Para eso soy muy clásico; me gusta el detalle y cuidar lo que me pongo, me encantan los relojes y los zapatos, pero no soy un fashion victim. Compro de todo, cosas de marca y sin marca. Tengo muy claro qué me gusta y qué no, y para eso soy visceral: jamás me pondría un abrigo de pieles", asegura. Xabi no puede con la gente que se pone cualquier cosa solo porque sea tendencia, aunque le quede fatal. "Ver a según quién con según qué, me da la risa", dice. Y uno se plantea que en el vestuario del Bernabéu se debe reír a gusto. "Hombre, hay de todo, pero reconozco que algunas mañanas pienso: 'Madre mía, no puede ser'. Cristiano Ronaldo se esfuerza en que me parta de risa, pero nada puede ser comparable a los modelitos de Drenthe, el holandés que se ha ido al Hércules. Era algo espectacular. También me río mucho de Arbeloa. 'Hoy te ha vestido tu mujer, ¿no?', le digo. Y se cabrea". Es clásico para la ropa, lo es para el cine -"me gusta en blanco y negro, cine negro, histórico o político"-, para la música -"soy muy de legends; de joven me fascinaba Nirvana, y ahora cada vez me gustan más Sabina, Calamaro, los Beatles, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Loquillo..."-. También se confiesa muy clásico para los vinos -"un buen Ribera del Duero, un Mauro, y tan feliz"- y admite, aunque le genere cierto apuro, que su debilidad tiene burbujas. "Me pierde el champán". +At nine he was offered a role in a movie by Spanish director Julio Medem who needed a strong, red-haired, basque kid. His mother rejected it. +Lived in Pozuelo for two months when he arrived in Madrid. He and his wife wanted a different lifestyle and moved to Barrio de Salamanca, which is right in the center of Madrid. +You can see him drinking coffee before training in a bar and buys the newspaper in a kiosk. "The thing is I like the street. Me and my wife are used to it, we've lived like this in San Sebastián, Liverpool and that's how we live in Madrid. It's not that relevant, that's what we've done all of our lives" +"There are children who bite and children who get bitten. I was one of those who used to bite...bite a lot". +He used to steal eggs with his brother Mikel and throw them at cars in a nearby road. +With certain regret he still remembers failing an his Castilian exam "my mother left me without football for a month". +Reached third year of the career of engineering before he dropped out. +"Eating I like even excessively". And cooking too. His big failure is paella: "I make it bad, awful, a disaster. I wish I could pull it off because I love it but I can't" +He says he works skillfully with the oven, whether it's for cooking a dorada or a rodaballo "a soft sautée with oil, vinegar and garlic...I love it. In the end with something so basic, or a good grilled chicken with lettuce, I'm more than happy +His talk about the gastronomic offer in Madrid is just too much to translate even a bit haha. He's basically in love with it and he's had to refreain himself because he can't go on an eating binge every day" +Talking about fashion: "Cristiano makes an effort to make me laugh". "I also laugh a lot at Arbeloa. 'Your wife dressed you today, right?', I tell him and he gets angry" +"I like films in black and white, black humor, historical, political" +"As a teen I was fascinated with Nirvana, now I like more 'legends' like Sabina, Calamaro, The Beatles, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Loquillo" +His weakness is bubbly: "I go crazy for champagne"

Guardiola: We did nothing wrong Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola could find no faults in the performance of his players despite a 1-1 draw at Rubin Kazan. Barca dominated the match but could not put any of their chances away in open play and had to rely on a second-half David Villa penalty to tie things up at one a piece. Rubin took the lead through a penalty from Cristian Noboa and nearly won the match when Obafemi Martins hit the woodwork late on. Despite the high drama, Guardiola felt that his side did enough to claim all three points from their Champions League encounter against Rubin - a team they have now failed to beat in three straight contests. "The team attacked well and did everything to win," he said in a post-match interview. "I am pleased with the players. We did nothing wrong and only needed to just put one of our chances away. I felt that we created enough opportunities to win. "They [Rubin] played well defensively." On a more positive note for Guardiola, injured star Lionel Messi came on in the second-half to mark his return to action after three games out. "We will try to help him continue improving on his road to a full recovery," Guardiola said. "We are happy to have him back." Barcelona play RCD Mallorca on Sunday at the Nou Camp.

pic http://pics.livejournal.com/rominitah/pic/000021yw/s320x240

With the arrivals of Ronaldo, Benzema and Kaká, did you think you would get a place in the starting XI? Personally I think you are in the best form of your career. Is that fair? Raymond Asare Gonzalo Higuaín: Well, this is Madrid and the club always tries to be the best, so you know the best players will keep coming. I knew this before coming here and I never complain. I fight every day to be in the first XI and never give up, but I also understand there is a team and a coach who will pick the players to help the club win every week. If I'm one of them, then I try to give everything for the team. Can this team reach the heights of the Madrid side with Ronaldo and Zidane in the early 2000s? Mpho Rapudubudu, South Africa Higuaín: I don't like comparisons. No one can doubt or question how well the 2000 Madrid team played and what it meant to the club to have players like Ronaldo, Raúl, Zidane, Figo or Makelele. They won the Champions League and we have not, but we are striving to do 'the impossible' and win and earn a place in history just like they did.

Pipita gave an interview to AS and spoke about his form, Madrid and the game against Valencia plus his partnership upfront with Karim and how he is gunning for the Pichichi this year Are you the starting striker of Real Madrid? No, I'm just another player on the squad. I wish to congratulate you for the goals you scored against Valencia. Thank you. The truth is i'm having my best moment since I arrived at Real Madrid. I feel comfortable and I'm enjoying myself. I have great confidence in what we do and in myself. Was the match against Valencia the best the team's had this season? We believe so, especially because the match in itself was very important. We distanced ourselves from a direct opponent and we beat them when things got tough. It also helped you to keep Barcelona in check. How did the squad celebrate the victory? We took it as a vital victory, just like all the rest we've earned this season. You once told us you understood Benzema's difficult situation because you went through something similar. How did you understand each other against Valencia? It was phenomenal. We pulled off several plays with one or two toches on ball together. We both did well in defence. We must now pull it off again. Were you happy for him? Of course. I'm always glad for my team-mates. I am very gretful for the assist he served me. You gave him a hug. The goal belonged to both of us. Against Valencia, Karim proved to have adapted to the team. He is doing a great job. I believe the work we did in the first defensive line was very important. The coach has stressed the importance of defending there. After the game, Xabi Alonso said the team attacks better when it defends well. Our performances are growing increasingly solid. We are gradually reaching the style Pellegrini wants. We play a straightforward game that damages our opponents. In Valencia we only faltered in the opening 20 minutes. You've scored seven goals in the six consecutive games you've started. I've always said I had a hard start at Real Madrid. Maybe that's why I always try to play my best game. I enjoy playing as a striker on this team, something I haven't been able to do always because of the necessities the team has had in the past. I have to take advantage of every chance I get. How many goals would you like to score this season? I scored 22 last season and I would like to net more this year. The progress that implies is important to me. I am young and I can still improve. Would you like to win the Pichichi Trophy? It would be a dream come true, but I'm only interested if it comes with a league title as well. There are quality strikers in Spain, starting with Villa, who has already scored 12 goals. Cristiano is also a great goal-scorer. Do Real Madrid play equally well without him? He is a very important player, but we've proven we can play well without him too. We did so in the past and against Valencia. Do you think the team may be relaxed against Zaragoza? It will be the most important game to date because winning would leave us just two points behind Barcelona before the holidays, which is essential to keep fighting to win the league title

"I liked the team's mentality" Mourinho: "I can tell the players want to win every match" Realmadrid.com Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho discussed his team's perfomance following its match against the LA Galaxy and although admitting he saw things he wasn't pleased with, he also commented on what he did like. "Gonzalo Higuain is a top forward. He scored two goals, which is quite important to a forward. What I liked most were his movements on the pitch, which were those of an intelligent forward. He makes the game easy for other attackers because he plays from behind and opens up a lot of ground." "Real Madrid cannot spend ten months playing with only Cristiano or Higuain. We will be participating in three competitions, so I need Benzema as he is an important player in my book." "I liked the team's mentality. They did not want to lose. I always tell my players that friendly matches do not exist, that preseason matches are used to make a lot of changes and that winning isn't what counts. I do not like the word "friendly" in football. I can tell the players want to win every match:" "There were moments I didn't like in both of our matches, but that's logical because we are still working and learning and there are many things to iron out. That said, there were also a lot of things I did like, such as the second half of today's match. I liked how we played on defense, how we pressured, how we played the ball and how we managed to score."

New Real Madrid winger Angel di Maria admits he could not believe Jose Mourinho was interested in signing him and claims he will always be grateful to the Portuguese coach for having brought him to the Santiago Bernabeu.Argentina international Di Maria became Mourinho's first signing as Madrid coach when a deal was signed from Benfica after the World Cup finals."I am excited to be here and just want it to start,'' he told AS. "I am relaxed and will rest during these days before starting pre-season training. I couldn't believe (he wanted to sign me). It's something good for me and also very special at the same time."I will always be grateful that he said he wanted me to come to Real Madrid. I will try to give everything on and off the pitch to prove he made the right decision to bring me here. With the players that are here it will be very special to play with them all."I have always watched them on television. It will be very special to play with Cristiano and Kaka. I have come from winning a title at Benfica, now I want to win here in Madrid and I will give everything to achieve as much as possible."

"I liked the team's mentality" Mourinho: "I can tell the players want to win every match" Realmadrid.com Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho discussed his team's perfomance following its match against the LA Galaxy and although admitting he saw things he wasn't pleased with, he also commented on what he did like. "Gonzalo Higuain is a top forward. He scored two goals, which is quite important to a forward. What I liked most were his movements on the pitch, which were those of an intelligent forward. He makes the game easy for other attackers because he plays from behind and opens up a lot of ground." "Real Madrid cannot spend ten months playing with only Cristiano or Higuain. We will be participating in three competitions, so I need Benzema as he is an important player in my book." "I liked the team's mentality. They did not want to lose. I always tell my players that friendly matches do not exist, that preseason matches are used to make a lot of changes and that winning isn't what counts. I do not like the word "friendly" in football. I can tell the players want to win every match:" "There were moments I didn't like in both of our matches, but that's logical because we are still working and learning and there are many things to iron out. That said, there were also a lot of things I did like, such as the second half of today's match. I liked how we played on defense, how we pressured, how we played the ball and how we managed to score."

Mourinho: "From a prestige standpoint, becoming coach of Real Madrid is like reaching the moon" According to Jose Mourinho, "the goal is to make this team as stable and consistent as possible" while Real Madrid also "continue winning." "What I liked most about Saturday’s match is that we didn’t need 35 shots to score two goals like we did against Ajax. We found the back of the net twice with half as many shots." "Ronaldo... is Ronaldo. He has made it this far thanks to both his many qualities and because of his defects, of which he has few. In attack his game is a little more individualistic, because his quality allows him to do that. That is how he won the Ballon d’Or, the Champions League, titles, prestige… He works hard every day and on the pitch. He provides a lot of help to his teammates. He is a fantastic player."

is worth reading. "It's important for players to know their coach supports them" "I was happy with our game in Auxerre. The Champions League is a different competition. If you lose one of the six first games you're in trouble. Auxerre played on Saturday and I believed we could have shown signs of exhaustion in the second half. That's why I used a stronger side, focusing on recovering the ball until the decisive moment came for me to bring out Ozil and Di Maria. The team's response was positive and we won." "Teams are constantly evolving, so you will always hear me use the word 'construction'. I'm happy with my team right now. If we had scored at least one goal from all the chances we had in the games we drew we would have won all of our official games so far. My players should remain calm and men like Cristiano and Higuain need the support of their coach. It's important for players to know their coach is with them. Cristiano Ronaldo and Higuain will continue to play as long as I want them to. The pressure from the press won't determine that."

Mourinho: Ronaldo is best, not Messi Jose Mourinho has given his opinion on who he thinks is the best player in the world - and it is not Lionel Messi. The Real Madrid coach was interviewed by Telemadrid in regards to his development of his project at the Bernabeu and was conveniently probed on who he believes is the best in the business - Barcelona's Messi or his very own Cristiano Ronaldo. And there was no doubt in the Portuguese's mind. He said: "There are two options - Cristiano, and Messi. If you consider Cristiano to be one, then Messi is two. But for me it is clear - Cristiano is number one." The self-proclaimed Special one also claimed that if he had to choose a piece of silverware to win this season, he would gladly put his hands back on the Champions League trophy he won with Inter last season. He remarked: "The Champions League is the competition of competitions. It's the most important and largest in terms of quality. "I do not want to sound selfish, but I want the Champions League this year because I want to defend my title, but to also bring it to Real Madrid where it belongs." The 47-year-old has made a strong start in becoming the first coach to successfully defend their Champions League title the following season after leading Madrid to a perfect start to the campaign so far - winning both their opening matches and sitting comfortably on top of Group G, two points ahead of closest rival AC Milan.

Alonso: Cristiano Ronaldo will find the target for Real Madrid soon Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso is certain Cristiano Ronaldo will not be concerned with his poor form in front of goal, and believes the Portuguese will begin finding the target again soon. The former Manchester United winger had a total of 11 efforts on goal during los Blancos’ 2-0 win over Ajax in the Champions League on Tuesday evening, but could not add his name to the scoresheet and appeared increasingly frustrated as the match wore on. Madrid on the whole squandered a number of excellent opportunities to record a more convincing victory, but Alonso believes that CR7 is not anxious, and will eventually find his scoring touch once again. During a press conference today, Alonso said: “As always he would have liked to score, and there were many chances for many players. There will be opportunities in the future and we will make sure we find the net. Ronaldo should not be anxious, because strikers often score in spurts. There will always be chances, because often we are going to be the best team in attack. I am sure that he will soon score.” ( Yada yada )

abi Alonso: "Expectations this year are higher than ever" Realmadrid.com Real Madrid sponsor bwin caught up with Xabi Alonso on the eve of the midfielder's return to his former stomping ground, Real Sociedad. "Real Sociedad have a good coach who works his men hard. They also have a team build primarily of academy players, which makes their commitment even greater. They pllay with two central midfielders, Aramburu and Rivas. I know them very well and they are hard workers, so we need to be very astute. We may have some difficulties if we aren't on top of our game. We will do our best to win."

Sami Khedira thanks Cristiano for being gentle and elegantly dressed Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has mounted a staunch defence of Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese winger was criticised by the German press. Khedira has hailed his club-mate, claiming he has been vital in helping him settle down at the Bernabeu following his summer move from the Bundesliga. "He is not arrogant or selfish like many people say," Khedira told AS. "He dresses very elegantly and he always behaves in a gentle way. He has helped me and Mesut Oezil to integrate with the rest." 1, 2

she always look the way she is gonna cry or maybe she's scared that she might be looking bad and the paparazzi is takin fotos!!

Real's Gago out for four weeks Real Madrid have confirmed midfielder Fernando Gago will be out for up to four weeks after damaging ligaments in his knee. The Argentinian sustained the injury in a training match after colliding with defender Daniel Carvajal. And tests today have revealed he could miss the next month. A club statement read: "A clinical exploration and a magnetic resonance done at Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital have confirmed Fernando Gago suffers from a Grade II sprain on the ligament of his left knee. "The player will miss approximately four weeks." Gago has not yet played for Madrid under Jose Mourinho.

Mourinho: I don't need Gareth Bale Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has ruled out a swoop for Gareth Bale after insisting he doesn't want another left winger. Real have been repeatedly linked with a move for Wales star Bale, who has been a revelation at Tottenham since switching from full-back to a midfield role. Spurs rejected an approach for Bale from an unnamed club this summer, which also saw the 21-year-old sign a new four-year contract at White Hart Lane. That has failed to calm speculation over his future but Mourinho claims he is not currently in the market for a left-sided player after being won over by Brazilian Marcelo. He told Spanish television station Gol T: "Madrid are constantly being linked with this player and that player but I want to say that I do not want another left winger. "Marcelo now has offensive quality and defensively he is growing. "I didn't like anything about Marcelo when I arrived because I thought he could do everything but defend but now I am a lover of his."