madristar

its like she's checking his nails in some of the pics

http://www.cristiano-ronaldo.us/pix/displa...p_display_media HQ pics of their vacation

The Whites turn the score around and leave one foot in the semifinals Fernando Porrero / Translation by Michael J. O'Donnell Real Madrid's intensity during the match was brutal. Atletico had a strong start, but were again defeated at the Bernabeu. The knockout stage hasn't been decided yet, but Real Madrid's three strikes give them a solid advantage for the return leg. A great effort between Reyes and Aguero seven minutes into the match left the ball at Forlan's feet inside the box; and the Uruguayan scored the opener. The Whites intensified their game and scored an equaliser on the 13-minute mark through a corner kick headed in by Ramos. Real Madrid put even more pressure on the visitors and only keeper De Gea prevented them from taking the lead before half-time. Atletico waited for the right moment to counterattack after half-time. Forlan came close to netting a strike, but the ball hit the near post. Real Madrid responded to this five minutes later: Ozil crossed the ball into the box from the right wing and Ronaldo kicked it into the back of the net with the sole of his boot (61'). Mourinho's boys started to suffer from the great efforts they made during the first half and began to look somewhat tired. They decided to control the ball more to prevent Atletico from getting possession. Then, Atletico committed suicide just when it seemed both sides were not going to do much to alter the score: Filipe tried to clear the ball inside the box, hitting Dominguez with it instead and forcing him to go down, allowing Ozil to easily defeat De Gea just before injury time. Lineups Real Madrid Casillas Arbeloa Ricardo Carvalho Sergio Ramos Goal 14' Marcelo Khedira Xabi Alonso Özil Goal 90' Gago 92' Cristiano Ronaldo Goal 62' Di María Granero 92' Benzema Kaká 56' At. Madrid De Gea Ujfalusi Perea Domínguez Filipe Luis Paulo Assunção Reyes Raúl García M. Suárez 50' Juanfran Valera 89' Agüero Forlán Goal 7' Fran Mérida 78

OMG!!! look at these...HQ pics of their vacation http://www.cristiano-ronaldo.us/pix/displa...p_display_media

LoveSergio04

"We saw a title-hungry Real Madrid" Ramos: "It had been a while since I scored and I wanted to dedicate it to my grandmother" Realmadrid.com Sergio Ramos offered his impression of Real Madrid's 3-1 win after the match. "We saw a title-hungry Real Madrid, but we cannot get too confident. We are excited about the possibility of playing in the semifinals." "It had been a while since I scored and I wanted to dedicate it to my grandmother who isn't feeling very well." "I am very happy after such a tough match against an opponent that proved that it wants to do well this year. We need to continue working hard and playing consistent football. We earned a positive outcome and I think we will win the tie, but the second leg won't be easy." "We cannot be overly confident in the Calderon. They have a great team with good players. We must be cautious because they are capable of scoring at all times." "If the clubs sees fit to sign an attacker, we won't have anything negative to say. We will continue working hard and open our doors in order to facilitate his adjustment."

"We want to win all three competitions" Mourinho: "It is very important to reach the second leg with the advantage" Realmadrid.com With one foot now in the door of the Copa del Rey semifinal, Jose Mourinho discussed his team’s performance in its 3-1 win against Atletico Madrid. "It is very important to reach the second leg with the advantage. The third goal gives us a little peace of mind, but we still have to play another 90 minutes in the Vicente Calderon, where Atletico are very strong. The outcome is still undecided." "The referee was very good. I like his method of officiating. Only with a referee like him can you play with such intensity. But if anyone has reason to complain it is us. Atletico’s goal came from an offside position and the goal almost scored by Aguero was also offside. The two linesmen were mistaken. But whether mistakes were made or not are all consequences of the match." "I prefer physical wear and tear than not playing the Copa del Rey at all. Of course my players are going to be tired, which is why we have rotations. There are players who don’t play as well after changing teams, and it happens everywhere. I don’t have copies of Cristiano, Di Maria or Ozil. They are unique players, but we must rotate because we want to reach the end of La Liga, the Champions League and Copa del Rey as champions." "If Valdano says we are looking for a forward it is not because of Karim’s output. It has to do with what we do not have. The change would be one forward for another. That is why the club says it is looking for a center forward. He would be welcomed with open arms. We don’t have attackers on the bench; only defenders and midfielders. It would be great if the club really is looking for a striker. If not, we still have a good team." "Benzema is working harder than ever. He is not selfish and he wants to play. He just lacks a little desire to score, but he is a great player." "Ozil is at an outstanding level physically speaking. His intensity and rhythm only increase. When he first arrived there was a mix of tremendous talent and lulls in the match. Now he has the dynamics to continue throughout a match. He is playing great and can play here for another ten years." "Arbeloa played very well tonight and took a lot of risks by advancing his position more than usual. He is very serious on the pitch and did not make any mistakes. I like players like him."

Mancini demands full focus from City Roberto Mancini has warned Manchester City that they must get rid of their superiority complex if they are to win the title. The most expensive squad in English football welcomed another addition earlier this week when giant striker Edin Dzeko checked in after completing his £27million move from Wolfsburg. With so much quality at his disposal, Mancini appears best placed to challenge Sir Alex Ferguson for the championship this season, and create what promises to be a thrilling all-Mancunian duel. However, the visit of Wolves to Eastlands on Saturday is a reminder of the obstacles that lie in City's path. Even though they went in front at Molineux earlier this season, Mick McCarthy's men rallied to snatch all three points. It was the kind of setback Mancini acknowledges could prove very costly in the final analysis, and one which the Blues must learn to avoid. "If you beat all these teams; the ones like Wolves, Blackpool and Aston Villa and draw against those like Chelsea and United, you win the title. "But it is not easy. "The problem comes when you meet a team that, in your head, you think are easy. "Against Arsenal, United or Chelsea, you don't need to remind yourself to concentrate. You are there a week before. "But if you think a game is going to be easy, that is when you lose. It happens here and in Italy. In 2011, there is no such thing as an easy game." There are countless examples to prove Mancini's theory. Sometimes games turn out to be easy, but only when attitudes are spot-on. Any deficiency can be exposed. "Why did Chelsea lose against Wolves recently? Because Wolves ran for 95 minutes and fought for every ball. For them it was the game of the year. It is something we must understand." the Italian continued. "Maybe against Leicester on Sunday, we thought it was easy. "Yesterday, Arsenal lost against Ipswich. In the FA Cup, Newcastle lost against Stevenage, Derby lost against Crawley. "These results do not happen in Italy. Here, every game is very strange. If you don't play at 200%, you are at risk." The added incentive for City to avenge that October loss to Wolves is the knowledge that they can clamber back to the top of the table for a longer period than the five hours they were there for over Christmas. Although the gap would be a single point and Mancini's side would have played three extra games, with United's unbeaten record getting a severe test at Tottenham 24 hours later, the Blues could find themselves top for a week at least. Not that Mancini is paying any attention. "We should not think about it," he said. "We should only think about our games. "The season is very long and we have another 17 matches to play. "The table could change every three days, so we must focus only on Wolverhampton, nothing else." Dzeko may yet be forced to make his debut from the bench. However, the Bosnian's arrival is set to release Roque Santa Cruz from his personal torment, and probably Shaun Wright-Phillips, who has been eased out of the first-team picture since Mancini's arrival. "If an opportunity for either of them to play came up, then it would be better for them," said Mancini. "Probably Roque will go to Blackburn in one or two days and Shaun has two or three options." But the situation with Emmanuel Adebayor is not quite so clear-cut. With Mancini restating his belief that it will be a couple of weeks at the earliest before he knows whether Mario Balotelli will need an operation on his knee injury, the Togo forward's future remains on hold. A number of different clubs, both at home and abroad, have expressed their interest in the former Arsenal man. But Mancini is wary of leaving himself short of options. "A lot of teams want Emmanuel but at the moment we have to wait for Mario Balotelli," confirmed the City chief. "Maybe Manu will leave but we have another 20 days, so we have time to make a decision. "If we lose three or four, we might end up in a situation where we don't have enough players for the remainder of the season."

Mancini: Even I've fought before Manchester City chief Roberto Mancini has laid down the law to his feuding superstars by fining them for their bust-ups. According to English newspaper the Daily Mail, the Italian confirmed that he docked the wages of Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Jerome Boateng and Mario Balotelli after their training-ground scuffles. The four players were disciplined after photographers caught pictures of them in fisticuffs at the club's Carrington training ground. The former Inter Milan manager has already clashed with several members of the first-team due to his hardline approach to training but his act of display now further epitomizes Mancini's ruthless streak. Asked if he fined the players, Mancini said: 'Yes. We fine them because we mustn't do this (fight) but sometimes it can happen and we fine the player, the player pays and in the end any money may go to charity. 'It's never serious because it starts and finishes in two minutes and in the dressing room everything is finished.' Mancini then joked: 'Sometimes we fight for them (the photographers) so they can sell their pictures.' He added: 'Seriously, this happens in every team. The difference is that here we don't have a big wall around the training ground. 'I played football for 20 years and I know that in every team sometimes these things can happen, because you train and play at 100 per cent. "Did I fight with team-mates? Yes, about five times. One time, when I was young at Sampdoria, I had a fight in training against Trevor Francis. I don't remember the cause of it because it was about 25 years ago but I remember very well the fight. 'It's important that afterwards it [the argument] was finished. Am I bothered about the pictures or headlines in the newspapers? Absolutely not.' Boateng and Balotelli went toe-to-toe on the training ground last month while former Arsenal teammates Adebayor and Toure had to be separated after clashing in training. Meanwhile, Mancini, whose side face off with Wolves on Saturday at Eastlands, hinted that new £27million signing Edin Dzeko might require another week of training to hit peak match fitness. DISQUS...

Mancini expects duo to leave Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has confirmed Roque Santa Cruz is almost certain to return to Blackburn within the coming days. Mancini has already stated that Edin Dzeko will probably be the only new face arriving at Eastlands during the current transfer window, so most of the attention around City this month is set to be on the players who will leave. Wayne Bridge was first man out of the exit door yesterday, joining West Ham for the remainder of the season. Santa Cruz's departure was always on the cards and it seems Shaun Wright-Phillips will be leaving too. "It is the same situation for Roque and Shaun Wright-Phillips," said Mancini. "He has two or three options." Both players came in during Mark Hughes' brief tenure, so it is little wonder Fulham has been suggested as an option for Wright-Phillips, along with Birmingham and West Ham. Having tried so hard to get Santa Cruz from his former club Blackburn, Hughes would doubtless be interested in the Paraguayan as well, although it appears his preference is to remain in the north-west. "Roque will probably go to Blackburn," confirmed Mancini. "Every player wants to play. I understand that. But it is difficult for me. "If an opportunity for either of them to play came up, then it would be better for them and I hope for Roque that in one or two days, he will have that." The situation with Emmanuel Adebayor is not quite so clear cut. With Mancini re-stating his belief that it will be a couple of weeks at the earliest before he knows whether Mario Balotelli will need an operation on his knee injury, the Togo forward's future remains on hold. A number of different clubs, both at home and abroad, have expressed their interest in the former Arsenal man. But Mancini is wary of leaving himself short of options. "A lot of teams want Emmanuel but at the moment we have to wait for Mario Balotelli," confirmed the City chief. "Maybe Manu will leave but we have another 20 days, so we have time to make a decision. "If we lose three or four, we might end up in a situation where we don't have enough players for the remainder of the season."

Jose Mourinho wants Adebayor Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is ready to end Emmanuel Adebayor's nightmare at Manchester City. The Portuguese has admitted he is in the hunt for a striker after a long-term injury to Gonzalo Higuain, who is sidelined for at least four months following surgery on his knee. According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, Mourinho is believed to be an admirer of Adebayor during his time in charge of Chelsea and would be delighted to bring the Togo international to the Santiago Bernabeu on a loan deal. The striker's departure from Eastlands has became a matter of when rather than if after his amazing training ground bust-up with team-mate Kolo Toure and the arrival of Edin Dzeko. City boss Roberto Mancini is desperate to rid him off the dressing room and would welcome an offer from Madrid. The Spanish giants are reportedly willing to pay his salary in full, on top of a £1 million loan fee.

Barcelona 5-0 Real Betis World player of the year Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick as Barcelona crushed Real Betis 5-0 in the Copa del Rey. Messi, awarded the FIFA Ballon d'Or on Monday, underlined his status as the outstanding player currently in the game with his Nou Camp treble, as Barcelona seized their dominant lead. The Argentinian forward opened the scoring after 44 minutes and added further goals in the 62nd and 73rd minutes to put Barcelona 3-0 in front. Pedro scored the rampant home side's fourth goal after 76 minutes, and Seydou Keita added the fifth with seven minutes remaining. Messi was substituted by Pep Guardiola with five minutes remaining, departing the pitch to a standing ovation. The night's other quarter-final saw six goals shared between Sevilla and Villarreal, who battled out a 3-3 draw. Hosts Villarreal went two goals up after Cani and Giuseppe Rossi scored in the 24th and 28th minutes, but Alvaro Negredo gave Sevilla hope before the break by cutting the lead. Marco Ruben put Villarreal 3-1 ahead in the 55th minute, before Negredo scored again five minutes later to again halve the deficit. It was left to Alexis Ruano to secure a draw for Sevilla with an 89th-minute equaliser.

BIRTH I was born in São Paulo on July 26th, 1987. I’m the daughter of Celso Celico and Rosangela Lyra, and I have a brother called Enrico Celico. I always lived in São Paulo and studied at Colégio Santo Américo and Saint Paul’s School (a British school in Sao Paulo). In 2000, I spent three months in England improving my English. I’ve always spent my free time studying cookery and etiquette, which have always interested me. My mother often travelled to Paris for work and took me with her many times. There, I had the opportunity to dedicate myself to French classes and Cookery at institutes such as Le Cordon Blue and Ritz. THE RELATIONSHIP In April 2002 I met my husband Ricardo Leite, aka Kaká. We started our relationship in September of the same year. DISTANCE In the first year of relationship, Kaká moved to Milan, leaving São Paulo Soccer Club for AC Milan in Italy. We had to learn how to have a long-distance relationship, seeing each other whenever it was possible. HE ENGAGEMENT In April of 2005 I went to Milan to visit Kaká. He said he would have a meeting in Venice, which was just an excuse to take me there and propose me. I accepted his proposal and we started to make all the preparations for the wedding immediately. It took place in São Paulo, on December 23rd, 2005. WEDDING My husband and I moved to Milan, where I started a new period in my life. As I’ve always liked Hospitality and Cookery, I worked at Park Hyatt Hotel in Milan for a few months. WORK I decided to dedicate myself to new courses, such as Italian language and Fashion Business at Marangoni Institute, where I made many new friends. It turns out that Fashion wasn’t my cup of tea, as it was for my mother. I opted to start my own business, Party Design Milano, with my friend and partner Chris Ayrosa, a set designer. From 2006 to 2007, we organized weddings, parties and corporate events. PREGNANCY After trying to get pregnant for six months, in spite of having polycystic ovaries, I had a great surprise in October, 2007, when I found out that I was expecting a boy, Luca. SON Luca was born on June 10th, 2008, in São Paulo, where we stayed until he was two-months old. In August, we went back to Milan, where I dedicated all my time to the church and our family.

Alves: Messi proved he is the best Barcelona's Dani Alves believes Lionel Messi has proved he was the rightful FIFA Ballon d'Or winner after his hat-trick against Real Betis. Messi on Monday become the inaugural winner of the award, pipping club-mates Andres Iniesta and Xavi in the voting. Messi scored an astonishing 60 goals for club and country in 2010, but Iniesta and Xavi both had strong claims to win the award themselves having also had excellent years capped by winning the World Cup with Spain - something Argentinian Messi did not have on his CV. Nevertheless, Alves feels Messi proved exactly why he is officially the world's top player with his treble in last night's 5-0 Copa quarter-final first-leg triumph over Betis. "Messi is different to the rest. I think in this game Messi has settled any debate or controversy about the Ballon d'Or. The best player has won it. He shows every day that he is the best. The others also deserved it, but the best player has won it," said Alves. Alves also played down his on-pitch row with team-mate Gerard Pique during the win over Betis, saying: "Pique and I have resolved it. It was something in the heat of the moment, but in the end it's nothing." Regarding the Copa del Rey win over Betis, which all but assured Barca of a place in the semi-finals and equalled the club record for going unbeaten (27 games), the Brazilian added: "We had the advantage of playing the first game at home and we've achieved our objective. "But we have the return match to come and we must respect our opponents, even though we have a good lead. Betis played well here, especially in the first half. They made things difficult for us."

Mourinho: Messi undeserving of award HOW TRUE! Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho would not have chosen Lionel Messi as the winner of the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or award. The Argentinean beat his Barcelona team-mates Xavi and Andres Iniesta to win the award, which was based on votes cast by journalists from around the world and coaches and captains of national teams. But Mourinho, who landed the Coach of the Year ahead of World Cup-winning Spain boss Vicente del Bosque and Barcelona's Pep Guardiola, believes there are players more deserving of the award ahead of Messi. "I have already spoken on this issue. For me, Xavi, Iniesta and Messi are players from another planet," the Portuguese told Spanish daily AS. "However, I would prefer Xavi, [Wesley] Sneijder or Diego Milito [had won the award]. First of all I would have prefered Milito and Sneijder if you take each game that they performed in for Inter. "As for Xavi, it will hurt as well. I have known him a long time and I am very appreciative of him," Mourinho said. Meanwhile, Messi became only the second player to win the award - the other being Ronaldinho.

Casillas reveals softer side of Mourinho Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas revealed that behind the cool persona of Jose Mourinho lies a softer side of him. Mourinho was named the 2010 Coach of the Year on Monday by FIFA while Casillas was part of the World XI squad. While the Special One was again in his cool front during the award ceremony, Casillas insists it's a whole different side of him behind the scenes. "We have worked together for six months and he has little to do with the Mourinho that most people see," Casillas told Realmadrid TV. "He always shows concern for everyone and he never forgets about those who are always in contact with the players. "It really catches on in the dressing room and all my team-mates and I am thrilled to have him. We hope he stays for a long time. Real Madrid have found in Mourinho a coach for a long time to come." Meanwhile, Mourinho has given his take on the FIFA Ballon d'Or award, insisting there are other players more deserving of the award than Lionel Messi. "I would prefer Xavi, [Wesley] Sneijder or Diego Milito [had won the award]. First of all I would have prefered Milito and Sneijder if you take each game that they performed in for Inter," he told Spanish daily AS.

Casillas reveals softer side of Mourinho Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas revealed that behind the cool persona of Jose Mourinho lies a softer side of him. Mourinho was named the 2010 Coach of the Year on Monday by FIFA while Casillas was part of the World XI squad. While the Special One was again in his cool front during the award ceremony, Casillas insists it's a whole different side of him behind the scenes. "We have worked together for six months and he has little to do with the Mourinho that most people see," Casillas told Realmadrid TV. "He always shows concern for everyone and he never forgets about those who are always in contact with the players. "It really catches on in the dressing room and all my team-mates and I am thrilled to have him. We hope he stays for a long time. Real Madrid have found in Mourinho a coach for a long time to come." Meanwhile, Mourinho has given his take on the FIFA Ballon d'Or award, insisting there are other players more deserving of the award than Lionel Messi. "I would prefer Xavi, [Wesley] Sneijder or Diego Milito [had won the award]. First of all I would have prefered Milito and Sneijder if you take each game that they performed in for Inter," he told Spanish daily AS.

José Mourinho is one of the models of Adidas and Porsche Design Sport’s 2010 fall/winter line, along with Stefan Edberg and Jochen Schümen. He makes a pretty good model, no?

Higuain faces long injury lay-off Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain is set to be out for three to four months, says the doctor who operated on his back. Higuain, 23, has been sidelined since November with a herniated disc and he went under the knife on Tuesday at the Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, United States. Dr Richard Fessler, who performed the surgery, was quoted as saying by the Spanish press: "The operation went very well. I have no doubt that in between two and four weeks he will be able to run without problems, then in a period of 10 weeks after the operation he will be able to take part with the rest of his teams in all types of work. "If everything goes well, in three months he could be playing competitively, although it's also possible it could be four." "Once you have a back problem, sometimes you will have pain and other times you won't. I think that he's going to have that, but not sufficiently strong as to affect him. All the American football and basketball players have returned to play at 100%." Fessler added that to recover 100% from any operation takes a year. It remains to be seen if Higuain will be able to play any part in the current campaign for Madrid, with the Primera Division season scheduled to finish on the weekend of May 22 and the Champions League final, if Jose Mourinho's men get that far, to be played on May 28. Higuain was Madrid's leading scorer in La Liga in the last two seasons and had netted seven times in this campaign before being sidelined.

thanks..

Real Madrid to beef-up attack Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano has confirmed they are in the market for a striker. The development is a direct result of the club losing Gonzalo Higuain for a lengthy period. Higuain underwent an operation on his back injury in Chicago on Tuesday and the doctor who performed the surgery confirmed afterwards the Argentina international would be absent for between three and four months. That would mean Higuain is unlikely to be available again until the final weeks of the season and would leave Madrid coach Jose Mourinho with just Karim Benzema as his only senior centre-forward. Madrid had appeared reluctant to bring in a new striker but Valdano admitted on Thursday night they are looking at options. "We are exploring the market now the uncertainty around Higuain has been resolved. We'll see if we can find a player who can help us for six months," said Valdano following Madrid's 3-1 Copa del Rey quarter-final first leg win over local rivals Atletico. Numerous strikers have been linked with the Spanish giants, including Miroslav Klose, Emmanuel Adebayor and Nelson Haedo Valdez, but Valdano preferred not to comment on possible targets. "Many names are being mentioned and it's best not to go into details. But it's true we are looking for a number nine," he said in AS.