madristar

The other news of the day was the “official communique” from the club, sent in response to a report on the RFEF web site. The report had announced a change in the referee for the game, and ended with “the referee Turienzo Álvarez will be in charge of the second leg quarterfinal game, under the watchful gaze of Mourinho, who has considered himself maligned by the referees in the last few matchdays of the Liga.” The report was later taken off the web site. Madrid’s response was to “express indignation,” “demand liability” and “lament the publication of such official bulletins,” among other things. Update: the RFEF’s spokesperson said an intern wrote the report and that “it does not reflect the opinion of the federation.” Sometimes I really have doubts that this league and the clubs are run by grown-ups. Madrid’s response was the correct one in this case, because that line in the report was really uncalled for, and it will probably add fuel to the fire that the RFEF has a vendetta against Real Madrid, which means this whole issue will blow up once again. I for one am so tired of it. In his press conference, Mou – is that his new ego collection watch? – showed that he too was tired of mindless controversies and fed up with the press. In response to the issue of another forward, Mou said: “I’m not the one who has to talk about it because I haven’t said anything. I talked about another forward in the pre-season, and in November, when everyone knew that Higuaín was not going to recover for a while, and then I didn’t say anything after that. In the last few days, the one who talked about the ’9′ hasn’t been me [he's referring to Jorge Valdano]. I’m not the one sending messages via the press. I’m too old to be doing that. I’m a dinosaur in that way.” When asked whether the tension was increasing between him and FP, Mou responded, “you all see ghosts, and suspense and terror movies.” On the refereeing as of late, Mou’s take was: “if you’re honest and you analyze what happened in Almería, you’ll see that there’s no controversy, just penalties that weren’t called. You have to be humble and say, ‘there were two penalties and I made a mistake.’ I’m not against the referees. Against Atlético, they scored an offside goal against us and I asked for this referee for every game because he’s fantastic and I liked him.” As for the formal complaint made by the referees committee in response to his words on Pérez Lasa, Mou commented, “I already said that there is a set of rules for me and one for everyone else. History repeats itself.” Then he was asked about the chants of “Mourinho, die!” at the Calderón: “I can’t say much more. What can I do? Not go to the game?” In response to whether he felt persecuted, he said, “why don’t you all answer that for me.”

Goalkeepers: Casillas, Adán, Pacheco. Defenders: Carvalho, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Albiol, Garay. Midfielders: Gago, Khedira, Granero, Xabi Alonso, Pedro León, Di María, Canales, Kaká, Özil. Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema.

Carles Puyol told Portuguese web site Maisfutebol that he worked with José Mourinho during his first years at Barcelona, and that “he’s a good person and a good coach… the titles he won speak for themselves.”

Kaká: we still have the segunda vuelta ahead of us, and there’s still a lot left to play.

Data from the primera vuelta show that Cristiano Ronaldo was the most-used player on the squad, and that 14 footballers have played 89% of the minutes in all three competitions. Cristiano has played 2,526 minutes out of a possible 2,700 (30 games), and is followed by Iker with 2,520 and Marcelo with 2,338. The rest of the 14 are Xabi (2,283), Carvalho (1,927), Di María (1,927), Özil (1,891), Sergio (1,889), Pepe (1,862), Khedira (1,833), Arbeloa (1,661), Higuaín (1,379), Benzema (1,257) and Lass (1,078). After that, the gap is quite large. The 15th position is filled by Albiol, with 792 minutes. He’s followed by Pedro León (563), Granero (540), Canales (332), Diarra (312), Kaká (156), Adán (135), Garay (107), Gago (101), Mateos (79) and Dudek (45). Three canteranos fill out the rest of the list: Juanfran with 20, Sarabia with 18 and MFC with 16.

Arbeloa: it would be crazy to say the Liga is out of reach. They were two important points, because in this competition all points are important, but we’re not going to give up now… we have to try and win everything.

Sergio Ramos: it’s too early to say there’s a winner of the Liga now. Obviously, we’re going to continue fighting for the title.

in Chicago, Gonzalo Higuaín will meet with Dr. Fessler on Wednesday (the doctor had a fully booked schedule on Tuesday and couldn’t fit Gonzalo in). If he passes the tests, then he can return to Madrid on Thursday. Pipita is feeling much better and has spent the last week resting in the hotel, and taking walks in the morning and afternoon.

Granero: Madrid aiming for treble Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Granero has underlined the club's ambition to win a treble this season. The Galaticos are still in the running for the La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League. Granero, who came on to score Madrid's equalizer in their 1-1 draw against Almeria, is adamant his side is taking all competitions seriously as they take a 3-1 lead into the second leg of the Spanish Cup against Atletico Madrid. Speaking in an interview with Spanish radio's Cope, the 23-year-old said: "We want to win all three competitions, one of which is the Copa. We haven't done so well in recent years, but we are serious this year and on Thursday we have a chance to qualify for the semi-finals. If we win only three more matches lie between us and the title," "Fans at the Vicente Calderon always respond well. It's a tough place to play. Real Madrid have done well there of late, but the Copa del Rey is always difficult. We hold the smallest of advantages and know it won't be easy if we don't play our hearts out." Granero also gave his thoughts on their Champions League Round of 16 encounter against Olympique Lyonnais next month. "We have learned a lot from what happened. We should have won the tie last year but didn't. "Those of us who were there learned from our mistakes. Things are different this year and we are heading into the tie with conviction. Lyon will be tough, but I am sure we can eliminate them if we continue doing what we are doing." Meanwhile, Madrid's title ambitions took a hit after falling four points behind league leaders Barcelona.

Ronaldo eyes Real Ruud capture Cristiano Ronaldo has backed Real Madrid's pursuit of former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Real have publicly stated their desire to sign a striker in the January transfer window as cover for long term injury absentee Gonzalo Higuain. As a result, the Spanish giant has been linked with a move for Hamburg striker Van Nistelrooy which has pleased Ronaldo. "We need someone for six months," Ronaldo was quoted on Sky Sports.com as saying. "There has been talk of some great players such as Ruud and I'm glad. The more players there are here who want to help this team win the better." Higuain is unlikely to feature for at least four months after undergoing a hernia operation in the United States and boss Jose Mourinho is desperate to solve his striking issue sooner rather than later. Real are now four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona following a 1-1 draw with Almeria at the weekend - a game where Mourinho opted not to start striker Karim Benzema. Dutch striker Van Nistelrooy, who also played with Ronaldo at Manchester United, scored 46 goals in 68 league games over a three-and-a-half-year period with Real before leaving for Hamburg.

In the build-up to the Copa del Rey game against Atleti tomorrow, AS interviewed one of the most pleasant surprises of this season, Ángel di María. Here are the highlights of the interview. It’s a pretty great one, and Ángel sounds like the ideal son-in-law: he loves his girlfriend, God and cooking! Plus, he’s friends with Pipita. Q: Your compatriot Messi won the Ballon d’Or again. Do you dream of winning it one day? A: Yes, the entire world dreams of that and me as well. I would like to win it. But the first step is to get onto the list, and so far I’m not there yet. But I’ll continue working, so at least things will go well. Q: Do you think Mourinho’s character reflects badly on Madrid? A: I don’t know where that comes from. For me, he doesn’t do anything that anyone else doesn’t do. He asks for things like everyone else. But during the first few games, we were kicked a lot and no one was cautioned. And as soon as we just touched another player, out came the yellow card. Q: Have you talked with Higuaín? A: Before and after the operation. He was quite nervous [pobrecito!!!]. Q: Who were your Argentine derbies against? A: Newell’s. Q: Were those games similar to the Madrid derbies? A: It’s more passionate in my country, you notice it more on the streets. But I’ve liked playing a lot in the derbies against Atlético and thanks to God we won both of them. Q: Agüero won’t play tomorrow… A: He’s a special player and he shows it in every game. Q: Do you speak a lot with him? A: Yes, yes. We get together to eat. Q: Who cooks? A: When he came to my house, I cooked. Q: What is the secret of your asado? A: I always use coal, and never grills or stoves. Coal, firewood and barbecuing. Q: Tell us about Cristiano. A: The truth is he’s unstoppable. He loves scoring goals, he has the ambition to do so in each game. It’s great for the team. Q: How are you preparing for the Copa del Rey? A: We started the year with the desire to win everything, from the Copa to the Champions to the Liga. Q: Is it as important for you all as the Champions League? A: We face each game as if it were a final with every championship at stake. Q: Who gave you the nickname “El Fideo?” A: It was Banega during the U-20 World Cup. I was skinnier then than I am now. Then everyone on the senior national team started calling me that. Q: Did being so thin affect your play? A: When I was small, I could never gain weight, no matter how much I ate. Q: How come? A: I was very nervous. I began playing football because a doctor recommended it to my mother, for me to play sports to counteract the hyperactivity. I had broken everything in my house with the ball (laughs). Q: Why do you celebrate goals by making a heart with your hands? A: It’s for my girlfriend. We’ve lived together for the last two years. For me, she’s a fundamental source of support. Q: Are you very religious? A: I’m quite religious, due to my mother, who is very religious. I got a tattoo of Jesus Christ on my leg to have Him closer to me and so that He could help me. Q: Do you attend mass? A: When I was small, always. Here, we went to visit Toledo and Cuenca and we went to church. I pray before games.

One of Mou’s used notebooks is up for sale, for €2,500. It corresponds to his last game with Oporto, in May 2004. After the game, the coach gave the notebook to an old friend from the Coaches Association of Oporto, and even wrote a personal dedication to him on the cover of it. The son of the friend is now putting the notebook up for sale. Inside, there are Mou’s annotations, notes and tactical drawings.

Ronaldo: Llorente would fit in Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo believes that Athletic Bilbao forward Fernando Llorente would be a perfect addition to the Real Madrid squad. In an interview with Spanish publication Marca, the Portuguese midfielder endorsed the attributes of Bilbao talisman Llorente. Ronaldo remarked: Fernando Llorente is a great player, and has the features that the coach is looking for in a player. " The former Manchester United wizard also hinted that he fully expects Madrid to usurp French outfit Lyon in the upcoming UEFA Champions League last-16 knockout stages after the latter shockingly dumped the expensively assembled Spanish giants at the same stage of the competition last season. Ronaldo added: "Manchester United, Barcelona and us are favourites then there is a small group including Bayern Munich, Milan and Inter. Chelsea, I do not consider a favourite, because they have changed a lot. "Last year we did not expect to fall to Lyon. We were better, but we did not show it. I am convinced that this year will be totally different. I'm happy to be playing them again, and am confident that we will win the tie." Ronaldo also played down his compatriot Mourinho's recent comments that the player will be the distinguished owner of five Ballons d'Or crowns in the course of his career. Ronaldo commented: "What I would like is many Champions Leagues, not Ballons d'Or. I feel very happy with that, but my priority is to win titles with Real Madrid." Madrid are four points off the pace in second spot with fierce rivals Barcelona sitting pretty at the summit of the La Liga standings.

SALARY PER YEAR 1- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid ): 12 milhões 2- Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): 11,5 milhões 3- Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 11 milhões 4- Yaya Touré (Manchester City): 10,8 milhões 5- Samuel Eto'o (Inter de Milão): 10,5 milhões 6- Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern de Munique): 9.7 milhões 7- Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Milan): 9 milhões 7- Kaká (Real Madrid): 9 milhões 7- John Terry (Chelsea): 9 milhões 10- Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City): 8,4 milhões

Mourinho: Real can still win title Jose Mourinho is confident that his Real Madrid side can still win the title, despite falling four points behind Barcelona. Although they have lost just once this season - a 5-0 drubbing against Barca - Madrid's hopes of wrestling the league back from the Catalans are now out of their own hands at the halfway point of the season after a 1-1 draw at Almeria on Sunday. But Mourinho insists that all is still to play for. "This draw is two points lost, but there is the entire second half of the season to be played," he said. "I think we have done well so far. We have won 15 matches, lost one and drawn two, but it isn't enough to be champions. We hope to improve in the second half of the season." On the game with the league's bottom side, which Madrid nearly won when a 94th-minute free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo thumped the bar, the coach added: "We didn't play at the rhythm we are used to during the first half. "Almeria defended very well, were very organized and played up to their potential. Hats off to them for earning a very important point." "Under normal conditions, if referees do their job with the same criteria for every team, La Liga is anybody's. We are halfway through the season and we can make up this deficit."

yep,he's the perfect for photoshoots,great photogenic looks Ya,but Barca hardly lose,wait till we play them in April....