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Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti gave a press conference prior to the friendly game Los Blancos will play in Dubai against AC Milan. The Italian ruled out a possible job as Italy’s national team boss and claimed he wants to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu.

“I’m not thinking about the Italian national team. My wish is to stay at Real Madrid. I would like to continue working with this club and this squad, because it feels very good,” Ancelotti confessed.

The former Milan coach spoke about his objectives for 2015: “We are going to try to win the Champions League twice in a row, because it’s something nobody has achieved. It will be tough, but we’ll try. We want to be as competitive as last year. We want to win all titles.”

Asked about the friendly against his former club, Ancelotti admitted it will be special. “I coached their manager back in the day. I have a beautiful history with this team. It’s a match between the two clubs with most European Cups.”

“All the players that have made the trip are available and will have minutes of play. It’s a good match to prepare our next official game. We want to continue our good run and please our fans in Dubai,” the Italian added.

Asked about Sergio Ramos injury, Ancelotti explained he doesn’t know “when Ramos will return. He’s been training in Madrid and we’ll learn about his state of form in the next few days.”

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Former Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello has said the current Los Blancos team is on course to define a new era in football.

As 2014 comes to a close, many are looking back on what the club has achieved. And with four trophies won along with a record breaking winning run, plenty of pundits in the game have said Real have taken the game to a new level.

Los Blancos won the Champions League, Copa del Rey, European Super Cup, and Club World Cup this year. The are currently on a 22-game winning run too, setting a new record in Spain.

“They are going to define an era,” the current Russia boss told  Madrid-based sports paper Marca.

“They have a great defence, a midfield that can play football as well as put in the miles and a frontline that scores goals for fun. Carlo has done a great job. There is no better strategy than instilling calm and not talking about others. The players come first,” he added.

And he went on to say: “This team and Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona are not comparable. Barcelona had six or seven home-grown players while Real have built a great team thanks to Florentino Perez and signing well. It is a different style.”

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2014 comes to an end and it’s time to make an assessment of the last 12 months. This year will remain in Real Madrid’s history books as the year Los Blancos conquered the long-awaited Decima –their tenth Champions League.

Yet, another prove that Los Merengues have dominated in 2014 is that they would be La Liga winners if the league went from January to December, as they have been the most consistent side.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men have played less games than any other club in La Liga in 2014 excepting Sevilla, since their clash of the 16th date had to be postponed due to the Club World Cup. Yet, they have earned more points than any team in the last 12 months.

Madrid have played a total 36 La Liga matches, earning 27 victories, four draws and five defeats, counting a total 85 points in 2014. With these numbers, they clearly beat Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. Both have earned 79 points in the 37 games played.

Moreover, Los Blancos have been the top scorers of the tournament this year, since they have found the back of the net 110 times in those 36 matches, making an average of three goals per game. They also beat their rivals in this statistic, since the Azulgranas have scored 92 goals and the Rojiblancos only 62.

The goals conceded is the only statistic in which Los Merengues lose to Barcelona and Atletico in 2014. Barca have conceded 28 and Atletico 29. Meanwhile, Real picked the ball from the back of their net on 30 occasions.

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Real Madrid target Lucas Silva has admitted in an interview with Globosporte that signing for Los Blancos would be a dream come true for him, and an important step in his career.

The Brazilian midfielder was expected to complete a move to the Santiago Bernabeu in January, but Cruzeiro’s directors have rejected Los Merengues offers.

Silva confessed he’s not nervous about the situation: “I’m quiet. On January 7th I have to start the preseason with Cruzeiro and I’m only thinking of the holidays I have left. Nobody has told me anything. There are many rumours about my future. In January the transfer market window will open and anything can happen. We’ll have to wait.”

Cruzeiro’s sports director Alexandre Mattos confirmed the negotiations recently but insisted Los Blancos bid is far from the 15 million euros they are demanding. Asked about Mattos’ words, Silva stated the club “requires a certain amount for my services and I respect that.”

“When I say nothing is closed, I mean that these are just speculations about my future. I’m a Cruzeiro player, I had a good year and I think I can improve even more. Signing for Real Madrid would be a big step forward, but we’ll see if that dream is fulfilled,” he added.

The reporter asked Silva if he was willing to force the situation, and the player was clear: “If there is an agreement, I want the three parties to agree. Cruzeiro must benefit from it. It is the club that has trained me, I feel identified with the club and it is wonderful. Nobody knows what will happen in the future.”

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Three current Real Madrid players, along with two others who made up part of the Champions League winning squad last season, have been named in L’Equipe’s team of the year for 2014.

Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo all were picked for their outstanding years, along with former Los Blancos players Angel di Maria and Xabi Alonso.

The French paper’s team of the year was largely made up of Real or German players, following Germany’s success at the World Cup in the summer.

Ramos played a key role in his side’s Champions League success. As well as being a rock at the back, he also popped up with two vital goals in the semi final against Bayern Munich before scoring the most important goal of his life – the last gasp equaliser in the final against Atletico de Madrid.

Toni Kroos arrived in the summer on the back of helping his former side Bayern to the domestic double and playing a key role in Germany’s World Cup win. Since arriving in the Spanish capital he has slotted into the side easily and already picked up two trophies – the European Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Ronaldo, shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or in January, has once again raised his game to a new level. He netted 50 goals once more last season – four year in a row now for Los Blancos and set a new Champions League record along the way. He has started this season on even more devastating form.

Alonso and di Maria both also played key roles in Los Blancos’ win in the Champions League – the Decima – but were sold to Bayern Munich and Manchester United respectively in the summer.

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Luka Modric

Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric has been named as Croatia’s player of the year for the fourth time.

The midfielder, currently sidelined with a groin injury, played a key role in his side’s success in the Champions League and Copa del Rey last season.

The 29-year-old was the man who took the corner for Sergio Ramos to head home in the Champions League final – a goal in the dying seconds of the match to send the game into extra time and for Real to go on and win La Decima.

After joining the club in 2012, Modric took his time to settle in the Spanish capital. But the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti in the Real dugout saw a change of tactics and the Croatian was partnered in midfield with Xabi Alonso. He sustained an injury on international duty in November that saw him ruled out for three months.

Speaking about a possible comeback, the midfielder said he is working hard on his fitness and is keen to join his team mates soon.

He stated: “My teammates keep asking me when I’m going to be back because they want it to be soon, but the team is playing well without me. My goal is to return fully fit and be ready to play when I do.”

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Cristiano Ronaldo has said Carlo Ancelotti is the key man behind Real Madrid’s success in 2014 and deserves all the plaudits.

Many Madridistas don’t want to say goodbye to 2014 after a glorious 12 months at the Santiago Bernabeu. It all stared in April, when Los Blancos defeated Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final. The following month, they reached the pinnacle, lifting their 10th Champions League in Lisbon, seeing off city rivals Atletico de Madrid 4-1.

At the start of this campaign they won the European Super Cup and followed that up by winning the Club World Cup earlier this month.

Looking back at the past year, Ronaldo said he was delighted with what the club had achieved. He of course played a key role – netting 56 times for his club in all competitions. But he told AS that Ancelotti deserved the plaudits.

“The boss is incredibly important in all of this. He is an amazing coach and an amazing person,” the Portugal international said. “We are all delighted with him. Together, we are like a family and united in our attempts to go even better than we have done in 2014.”

The 29-year-old then went on to discuss next year, and said he can get even better.

“I hope 2015 is even better than 2014. [At Real Madrid] we have a collective spirit which can propel us to win the most silverware possible,” he stated.

“It’s possible because Madrid is always amongst the candidates to win every competition they enter. We will be giving absolutely everything we’ve got to win every trophy in play next year.”

 

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Champions League trophy

Real Madrid will finish 2014 at the top of UEFA’s Club Ranking after completing one of their most succesful years in decades.

With a total 162.514 points in the last five sesasons, Los Blancos beat runners-up Barcelona by 14.000 points. Bayern Munich are third with 145.254 points, and Chelsea are fourth with 139.706.

Arch-rivals Atletico Madrid are sixth in the list, right behind Portuguese champions Benfica.

Carlo Ancelotti men have achieved 23.557 points since september, better than any other club during the current season. In the 2013-14 season, they were also leaders with 39.600 points, 2.000 more than Atletico Madrid.

Los Merengues have lifted four titles in 2014. They won the Copa del Rey back in May, a few days before conquering their tenth Champions League. In August, they beat Sevilla to win the European Supercup, and last week the sealed a perfect year with their victory in the FIFA Club World Cup.

After two seasons at the top of the ranking, Real Madrid are favourites to hold the first position during 2015.

UEFA Ranking:

1. Real Madrid CF – 162.514
2. FC Barcelona – 148.514
3. FC Bayern München – 145.254
4. Chelsea FC – 139.706
5. SL Benfica – 118.043
6. Club Atlético de Madrid – 115.514
7. FC Schalke 04 – 109.254
8. Arsenal FC – 107.706
9. FC Porto – 105.043
10. Manchester United FC – 102.706

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent has claimed the Real Madrid forward should be credited for transforming the club in recent years.

The forward arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009 and has been a key part of the side that has enjoyed o much success over the past five years. He has netted more than 50 goals a season for Los Blancos for the past four years, and helped his side to an unprecedented four titles in 2014 – the Champions League, European Super Cup, Copa del Rey and Club World Cup.

He is in the running for his second consecutive Ballon d’Or in January, and Jorge Mendes says he deserves a lot of recognition for putting the club back at the very top of the global game.

Speaking in an interview with Globoesporte, he stated: “With respect to players that were great like Raúl or Di Stefano, there is no comparison with Cristiano Ronaldo.”

He added: “Cristiano Ronaldo began Real Madrid’s transformation, it wasn’t like it is now five or six years ago.  There was no Barcelona, who the entire world considered the best team in the world.”

And Mendes confirmed his client would be at the club for many more years, saying: “He’ll stay with Real Madrid for a long time because he still has a lot of things we wants to accomplish with the club.”

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Real Madrid playmaker James Rodriguez has been named as the Latin American sportsman of the year by the AIPS (International Association of Latin American Sports Journalists).

The 22-year-old shot to fame at the World Cup this summer, where he starred for Colombia. He was the tournament’s top scorer with six goals in five appearances, including the goal of the tournament – a 30 yard volley against Uruguay.

Much talk had already been made about a move from Monaco to the Santiago Bernabeu prior to the tournament, but his star displays in Brazil convinced Florentino Perez to shell out 80 million euros on the player to bring him to the Spanish capital.

Since his arrival, Rodriguez has been instrumental in the 22-game winning run currently being enjoyed by the team right now. He has also managed to pick up two trophies already – helping his side to success in the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

A statement on the Real Madrid club website praised the Colombian for his superb year. It read: “The Real Madrid footballer was Colombia’s key player during the World Cup in Brazil, where he picked up the Golden Boot for scoring six times and getting the goal of the tournament. He has won the European Super Cup and the Club World Cup with Real Madrid, notching up 9 goals and 8 assists.”

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