Page 281

By -
1

Former Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello has said ex-Los Blancos and Brazil striker Ronaldo was a great player but a bad influence on the squad.

The Italian managed the forward in 2006, his second spell as boss of the 10-time Champions League winners. It was Capello who sanctioned the sale of Ronaldo to AC Milan in the January transfer window and Madrid came from behind to overtake Barcelona to lift the La Liga title.

Speaking at the Globe Soccer Awards, Capello described Ronaldo as the best player he ever coached. But he also said he was a bad influence on others.

“Ronaldo, the phenomenon, was the greatest player I have ever coached. He showed up for pre-season in Madrid and was 96kg, so I asked him to get to 88 to 90 kg. There was nothing I could do. He was a great player, but a negative influence for the group,” he said.

Ronaldo spent four and a half seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu and scored 104 goals for Los Blancos. He helped the side to success in La Liga in 2003 as well as the Intercontinental Cup and Supercopa de España before being sold to AC Milan for a fee of around eight million euros.

By -
0
Denis Cheryshev

The top court for sports in Spain has rejected Real Madrid’s appeal against their exclusion from the Copa del Rey this season.

Los Blancos were thrown out of the competition last month after they fielded Denis Cheryshev in the first leg of their tie with Cadiz. The Russian, who scored in that 3-1 win that night, was supposed to be serving a one-match ban for picking up three yellow cards while on loan at Villarreal last season.

Madrid were thrown out of the competition but appealed to Spain’s Tribunal Administrativo del Deporte (TAD), which on Monday ruled that the 10-time Champions League winners has indeed fielded an improper line-up. The court said in the written ruling that it’s decision was final.

In a statement published on the club’s official website, Real said they did not agree with the decision and would be exploring other legal avenues.

It read: “The Administrative Court of Sport has dismissed the appeal made by Real Madrid C. F. concerning the Spanish Football Federation’s disciplinary decisions in relation to the Copa del Rey round of 32 first-leg tie.

“The club respects but does not agree with the Court’s ruling and as such announces its decision to pursue a judicial-administrative course of action, along with other possible legal options, which are currently being studied.”

By -
0
how to purchase real madrid tickets online

If you are planning on attending a Real Madrid match, there are a few things you should know before purchasing your tickets. Here you will find some tips and information on how to buy Real Madrid tickets online, by phone or in person.

Choosing the game:

When choosing the match you want to attend, you have to take into consideration that the day and time of the game is often confirmed three weeks before the matchday. However, for Champions League games, dates are confirmed once the draw has taken place.

As season ticket holders liberate their seats, availability for tickets increase. Thus, if you cannot find tickets for a specific match, you might be able to get them if you try later.

Choosing your tickets:

There are four ticket categories at the Santiago Bernabeu. Seats in categories 1 are situated in the best positions: on the sides and close to the field.

Category 1: Low and middle stands on the sides – excepting the VIP areas
Category 2: Low and middle stands behing the goals and high stands on the sides
Category 3: High stands behing the goals
VIP category: VIP rooms where you are often served free food and beverage and have a special treatment.

buy real madrid tickets map stadium
These four categories are divided in sectors. There are eight groups of sectors, organised by height. Sectors in the lowest stands are numbered from 1 to 34, sectors in the second lowest stands are numbered from 101 to 134, and subsecuently sectors in the higher stands start at numbers 201, 301, 401, 501, 601 and 701.

Buy Real Madrid tickets online

If you want to buy your tickets online, you can access the official first team tickets platform at Realmadrid.com. The website is available in eight different languages.

The club often starts selling tickets to general public between five and ten days before the game. Before that date, only club members and Madridista card holders are allowed to buy Real Madrid tickets.

Once you have purchased your tickets, you will be able to collect them at the Santiago Bernabeu offices, in the first floor of the shopping centre located in the stadium. However, if you want to pick them up on the day of the game, you will have to go straight to the ticket windows.

There are other online platforms that sell Real Madrid tickets. They are often based in the same system used at the official website of the club, and prices are usually the same. Other websites, such as entradasmadrid.com, are a bit more expensive.

Purchase tickets by phone

Real Madrid offer a telephone sale service, which is also available in English. The number is: 0034 902 324 324.

The lines are usually pretty busy, so you might have to try several times. You will have to dial 1 for football tickets or 2 for basketball tickets. Once you get to speak to a sales person, you will be able to request an English-speaking operator.

Remember to have your credit card on hand to complete the purchase. You are allowed to buy up to six tickets. Exchanges and returns are not permitted.

Buy tickets in person at the Santiago Bernabeu

You can go directly to the stadium to buy tickets in the ticket window number 44. Tickets are usually sold there from the day before the match, although in some cases you will be able to purchase them with more time on advance. The window is usually opened Monday to Sunday from 10.00 to 19.00.

Real Madrid Ticket Prices

Cheapest tickets are usually worth 30 euros. You can get a seat in the high stands behind the goals for that price -or even less if it’s a Copa del Rey game against a lower division side.

For an average game, prices are between 30 euros and 150, excepting the VIP tickets. You can get a VIP seat for 225 euros to 600.

In important matches, such as El Clasico, the Madrid derby or the Champions League big games, the prices of regular tickets can go up to 700, while the VIP seats go up to 1,000 euros.

By -
0

Premier League side West Ham United were two hours away from hiring Rafa Benitez before Real Madrid swooped, according to their chairman.

David Sullivan told the Daily Telegraph that everything was in place for the former Liverpool and Inter Milan manager to take over from Sam Allardyce, who left the Upton Park club last summer.

But when the 10-time Champions League winners came calling after getting rid of Carlo Ancelotti, Benitez made a quick decision to join the Santiago Bernabeu side.

“We were two hours from getting Benitez and then Real came in. We had agreed a contract and everything,” Sullivan said.

Benitez has been under serious pressure in recent weeks at Real after losing 4-0 in the Clasico againt Barcelona as well as overseeing loses against Sevilla and Villarreal. With fans unhappy with the style of football being served up this season and with talk of arguments with senior players in the squad, reports have suggested Benitez could be sacked soon – with Zinedine Zidane or Jose Mourinho lined up to replace him.

But despite missing out on his man, Sullivan said Benitez is still a world class manager.

“He is a top manager, whatever anybody says, and I think he’d have done a wonderful job for us,” he commented.

By -
0

Former Real Madrid midfielder Sergio Canales says now is a good time to face the European giants when his current club Real Sociedad visit the Santiago Bernabeu.

La Real take on Los Blancos on Wednesday evening and despite having won 10-2 last time out against Rayo Vallecano, there is still plenty of speculation surrounding boss Rafa Benitez. Some reports have even suggested Zinedine Zidane has already been approved to step in as interim boss.

Canales, who made 15 appearances for the 10-time Champions League winners, said the Sociedad would look to take advantage of any instability adding it is the best time to play Madrid.

In quotes published by AS, Canales said: “It’s one of those games you mark in red on the calendar, because it’s one of the most difficult, away from home and at the Bernabeu, but given that it’s after the Christmas holidays it could be a good moment to go there. We have to take advantage of the chances we have, go there with the mentality we always have – to look for the win – and we’ll see what we can get.”

Asked about the speculation surrounding Benitez, Canales added: “We know what Madrid are, these things are talked about every year. But I don’t think it’s anything in our favour. We know they’re coming off that win against Rayo but we also know that was a bit of a strange game, and it doesn’t make us more afraid to go to the Bernabeu.”

By -
0

Jose Mourinho is in no rush about a return to Real Madrid even if Rafa Benitez is relieved of his duties shortly, according to reports.

The Daily Telegraph says Los Blancos have sounded out the Portuguese about a possible return to the Santiago Bernabeu should they get rid of Benitez, who only arrived in the summer.

But the report said Mourinho has many reservations about the job, including the politics involved surrounding the manager’s job at the 10-time Champions League winners. Having burned plenty of bridges in Spain, including with many of the senior players currently at Real, it would also mean setting difference aside to work together once again.

A statement released by his representatives last month following his sacking from Chelsea said Mourinho was ready to get back into the game as soon as possible and did not want to take a long break. For now he continues to live in London and his wife Tami and two children, Matilde and Jose, are settled there.

With Louis van Gaal appearing to be on the brink of losing his job at Manchester United many in the game believe Mourinho is waiting to see developments at Old Trafford before making his next move.

By -
0

Cristiano Ronaldo will stay at Real Madrid until he retires from professional football, his agent has said.

Speculation has surrounded the 30-year-old for many months now with the Portuguese being consistently linked with a move back to former club Manchester United or a switch to the MLS where would follow in the footsteps of former Real players like Raul, David Beckham and Kaka.

Los Blancos’ all-time leading scorer has also been linked with PSG, and talk of a move to the French capital increased after he admitted he admired the Ligue 1 champions when the two teams faced each other in the Champions League earlier this season.

But at an awards ceremony in Dubai where Jorge Mendes was picking up the ‘Agent of the Year’ award, he told the media that he expects Ronaldo to stay with the 10-time Champions League winners until he hangs up his boots. He added once more that Ronaldo is happy in the Spanish capital.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Mendes said: “He’s the best player of all-time. And I am sure that he will play the next four, five, six, seven years at Real Madrid; he will end his career there. He’s happy with Los Blancos; he’ll hang up his boots when he’s 40.”

By -
0

Dinamo Zagreb wonderkid Ante Coric has been contacted by Real Madrid to start negotiations over a possible move to the Santiago Berrnabeu, Spanish sports newspaper AS has revealed.

Los Blancos have reportedly been eyeing the 18-year-old playmaker for the last few weeks, sending scouts to Croatia, and they are ready to launch a bid for the young footballer.

Coric made his debut for Dinamo in the 2013-14 season, at 16 years old. This season, he has become one of the leaders of the team, and has caught the attention of several European giants, including Manchester City, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Porto, Inter Milan and Barcelona.

The young midfielder has a running contract with Dinamo until 2020, and a buy-out clause of ten million euros. Last November, he told the press he wanted to leave the club.

In the last few months, Florentino Perez has focussed on signing promising teenagers who will build the future of Real Madrid, including Martin Odegaard, Marco Asensio and Jesus Vallejo. Coric would be a perfect fit in that policy, so there are real chances he will arrive at Madrid.

Coric could be the sixth Croatian to ever wear the Real Madrid shirt, following Robert Prosinecki, Robert Jarni, Davor Suker, Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic.

By -
0

Real Madrid and Barcelona are fighting to sign 21-year-old midfielder Federico Bernardeschi from Fiorentina, Italian website TuttoMercato has revealed.

The Italian winger is one of the most sought-after young talents in Europe, and many big clubs are following his progress, including Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Real Madrid and Barca are very interested as well according to the last rumours, since they see him as a great prospect for the future.

Bernardeschi has made a great impression this season at Fiorentina, becoming a guaranteed starter at the right wing. The departure of Joaquin Sanchez opened the door for the youngster to get minutes of action and he has proved to be the perfect choice.

The Italian is a very versatile player, who can play either in the wings or as a pure playmaker.

He made his debut at Crotone in the 2013-2014 season, earning himself a move to Fiorentina. There he joined the youth team, although last season he made ten appearances for the first team, scoring three goals.

By -
2

Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has been confirmed as the new Bayern Munich boss for next season, and he has already started to work on his squad.

The Italian coach has requested Bayern the signing of three Los Blancos players, Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has reported.

Ancelotti wants to bring Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale to Munich, according to reports. The three of them are key players at the Santiago Bernabeu, and it seems highly unlikely that Florentino Perez will let any of them go.

Yet, Los Blancos are pursuing the signing of Bayern striker Robert Lewandowski, and the German club could be open to selling should Perez agree to negotiate for one of these three men.

Ancelotti has also told Bayern he wants to keep Lewandowski, so there is little chance of a switch taking place.

1...280281282...733Page 281 of 733

www.gambleaware.co.uk or www.gamcare.org.uk
Please gamble responsibly