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Zinedine Zidane says Real Madrid duo Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo aren’t for sale and any potential suitors should stop thinking about trying to sign either of them.

Rumours have never gone away that Ronaldo could seek to end his career back at Manchester United, while PSG are known to be willing to use their financial muscle to take him to Paris.

But in an interview with Shortlist, the Real Madrid Castilla boss said the 30-year-old Portugal international is going nowhere.

“Cristiano has been the best player in the world in recent years and he knows he’s the best. That doesn’t mean he didn’t work hard, or that he doesn’t want to get better or better, but it gives you confidence to know how good you are. He isn’t for sale,” he said.

The 1998 World Cup winner then went on to discuss Bale. The Welshman appears happier in Madrid this season but there was plenty of talk last campaign about a return home to the Premier League after getting tired of the constant criticism in Spain.

But Zidane stated: “Of course other clubs will want [Bale], he’s one of the best in the world. But Bale, his agent and the club have made it clear: his future is at Madrid. We sign the best players in the world, we don’t sell them.”

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Daniel Carvajal with Bayer Leverkusen

German giants Bayern Munich have identified Real Madrid’s right back Daniel Carvajal as the man to replace Rafinha next season, according to reports.

AS says the Bundesliga side want to improve their options in defence and believe Carvajal is the perfect fit as the long-term replacement for the current incumbent of the role at the Allianz Arena.

Carvajal was recommended to the club by the new technical director, Michael Reschke. He previously held the same role at Bayer Leverkusen and was responsible for signing Carvajal for them in 2012. The right back stayed for just 12 months before returning to his boyhood club.

Carvajal had established himself as the number one right back at the Santiago Bernabeu last summer but the arrival of Danilo from Porto means he is no longer guaranteed a spot in the starting 11.

Although he has five more years to run on his current deal, he is thought to be considering his options and could be open to a move away should he not regain his place by the end of the campaign.

Should any transfer happen, it would likely cost in excess of 30 million euros. With Chelsea likely to be on the lookout to replace Branislav Ivanovic, Munich could face competition for Carvajal’s signature, the report says.

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Costa Rica and Deportivo La Coruna midfielder Ceslo Borges says Keylor Navas playing for Real Madrid is the biggest thing to have happened for Costa Rican sport.

Navas was on the verge of leaving the Santiago Bernabeu after just one year in the summer as makeweight in the deal that would have sen David de Gea move from Manchester United.

But after that deal spectacularly collapsed minutes after the close of the summer transfer window, Navas has gone on to establish himself as the undisputed number one, winning many plaudits for his outstanding displays so far this season. He has conceded just three goals in 12 appearances all campaign.

Speaking to Radio Marca, Celso, who has known Navas since the pair were youngsters, hailed the Real shot stopper.

He said: “I’ve known Keylor from Costa Rica, and from Saprissa. We share a beautiful friendship. I was 16 when I met him the first time. We communicate a lot. He’s always had that ambition to win and be the best. He’s never lost it. He’s not just the best goalkeeper in La Liga. He works to be at the top and it is very well deserved.”

He continued: “His virtues? He has intuition before the shot and impressive reflexes. He reads these situations very well. Mentally he’s very strong. He’s the ideal goalkeeper. [Navas playing for Madrid] is the biggest thing to have happened in our country for people talking about sport. The people like him a lot.”

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Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane says footballers need to have the right mentality from a young age if they are to make it to the very top of the game.

Zidane enjoyed a hugely successful playing career in Italy with Juventus and Spain with Real Madrid, winning numerous titles including La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League. At international level, he spearheaded France’s success in the 1998 World Cup and also helped them win the European Championship two years later.

In an interview with Shortlist, the Real Madrid Castilla boss was asked what players need to do to reach the top. And he responded by saying they must ignore the distractions such as money, fast cars and everything else celebrity brings.

“I remember the [then] club president at Juventus Gianni Agnelli, asked me why I wasn’t interested in the nightclubs of Turin, the girls, and why I didn’t turn up to training in a Ferrari. Maybe 30 years ago you could live that life and still be a top player, but for the past 15-20 years that has not been possible. Players are so physically fit, ability is not enough. That is why we have seen so many wasted careers. If you don’t have the right mentality off the field and let things get in the way, then you will not have the right mentality on it,” he commented.

And he added: “For 17 years football was everything to me. It’s all I did, all I thought about, it was all the players at Read Madrid focused on. Training, games, it consumed me. You don’t just win, you think about winning, it becomes your everything. That is why even when I finished playing, I could not sit around on my couch watching football, I needed to be a part of it. I still need to know what success and winning feels like even if it is not as a player. You can’t fake those emotions, they come from focus and mentality.”

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Javier Hernandez says he is enjoying a new lease of life in the Bundesliga and is happy to be playing regular first team football once again.

The Mexican spent a year on loan from Manchester United at Real Madrid and although he wrote himself into Madridista folklore for his Champions League quarter final goal against Atletico de Madrid hi spell in the Spanish capital was one largely of frustration.

Chicharito had left Old Trafford in the hope the switch to the Santiago Bernabeu would reignite his stalling career. Having sold Alvaro Morata to Juventus, Real needed a new striker. But Hernandez spent most of last season on the bench, unable to dislodge Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema on a regular basis.

He moved to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer and has netted seven goals in nine games for his new side so far.

In an interview with media in his home country, Hernandez said: “I’m truly blessed and very lucky. If you look closely into my career, most of my ‘low points’ came when I was benched at Manchester United and Real Madrid.

“Now that I’m playing more frequently, all those ‘low points’ will be gone. I know people blast me for missing one chance, even if I score a brace, but haters are gonna hate. I’m very lucky to be here, learning a new language, and working with a team that’s eager to win trophies, that’s enough fuel to keep me motivated.”

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Angel di Maria

PSG winger Angel di Maria has said he never wanted to leave Real Madrid.

The Argentine midfielder left the Santiago Bernabeu in summer last year to sign for Manchester United in a 75 million euro deal. But the move didn’t work out for him and he signed for PSG this summer.

The 27-year-old told an interview with Marca that he had on and off field problems in Manchester. Mid way through the season he was dropped to the bench while a house robbery at his home in the north of England left him and his family frightened and eager to leave.

The winger admitted he had never wanted to leave Real in the first place but much of the transfer was down to the work of football agents.

“My intention was always to stay. I never wanted to leave. I don’t know what happened inside the club, but that was more to do with agents. These are things that happen in football. I left as I left, but I take with me the nicest part, which was the final ovation of the Bernabeu,” he said.

Speaking about his brief spell in England, he added: “I started very well, but then I had problems with people at the club. I started to be put on the bench. Then my house was robbed, all of it made me want to leave there quickly.”

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Celta Vigo striker Nolito has hit out at refereeing standards in Spain saying big clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona tend to get the decisions in their favour.

In quotes published by AS, Nolito raised the issue of bias toward big clubs – something that has been a hotly debated topic in Spain for the past couple of seasons with many tending to agree with the Celta forward.

His side was beaten by Los Blancos last weekend at home with Cristiano Ronaldo, Danilo and Marcelo securing the points for the 10-time Champions League winners.

Their life was made easier thanks to a red card given to Celta’s Gustavo Cabral with more than half an hour remaining, while Nolito felt he also should have had a penalty when he was brought down in the box.

The striker stated: “There are things that have existed and always will exist. If you are from Madrid or Barcelona, referees respect you more. They need to understand us. There are referees who provoke you and speak to you with arrogance.”

Celta Vigo have been somewhat of a surprise package so far this season and sit fourth in the table with 18 points from nine games so far. The loss to Real was their first of the campaign.

 

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Retiring New York Cosmos forward Raul says he will return to the club one day but not just yet.

The 38-year-old will hang up his boots at the end of the MLS season after more than 20 years as a professional footballer. Amid return of a possible return to the Santiago Bernabeu in a coaching capacity, the ex-Spain international told a news conference that he wants to spend time with his family first before making a decision on where his future lies.

He admitted to reporters though that he is in regular contact with the Real Madrid hierarchy a wants to return. Raul spent 16 years at the club, scoring 323 goals – a record that was only recently surpassed by Cristiano Ronaldo.

“Real Madrid is my home and some day the moment will come to return. But it will not be in the near future, although there is continuous contact,” he said.

And he continued: “I do not feel a coach, nor am I thinking now about being one in the next few years. At the moment I want to be a father and a person.

“To be a coach you need to go through a training process I have not yet started, but I would like to coach a winning team. [For now] I will stay living in New York with my family, open to a new life, open to many possibilities.”

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Real Madrid offered Paris Saint-Germain 60 million euros to sign Italian midfielder Marco Verratti last summer, prestigious French magazine France Football has revealed.

According to this magazine, Verratti was Los Blancos first option to reinforce their midfield line, and they tried to convince PSG. However, the French club rejected the offer, as they consider Verratti an essential player.

The footballer’s agent suggested PSG could have asked for 100 million euros in order to let Verratti leave: “If Kevin De Bruyne signs for Manchester City for €80 million, then €100 million for Marco does not seem unreasonable. I hear here and there that Pogba is €100m. For me, Verratti is worth as much,” Donato Di Campli told France Football.

Since Verratti’s signing failed, Madrid ended up signing Mateo Kovacic, who was a much cheaper option, since Los Merengues reportedly paid Inter Milan 35 million euros for the Croatian.

Casemiro also arrived this summer to reinforce Rafa Benitez’s midfield, and given the good performances both signings have put in, it seems like Florentino Perez will not have to bring more players for that position in a long while.

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Real Madrid have reached an agreement to bring Argentinian wonderkid Lucas Patanelli to the Spanish capital, Madrid-based sports newspaper Marca has revealed.

Los Blancos have been eyeing the Independiente Avellaneda pearl for some months, and now they have finally sealed a pre-contract deal that will see the promising playmaker switch Argentina for Spain when he turns 16 years old.

Patanelli is a 15-year-old forward who plays as the typical Argentinian number 10. He has been labelled by some as the next Messi. He also possess fantastic control and great passing ability.

However, Patanelli has not made his debut for Independiente first team yet, and he might never make it should he move to Madrid after turning 16. FIFA rules prevent clubs from signing kids before they reach that age, and Patanelli will turn 16 next February.

Los Blancos failed to sign another Argentinian pearl, Augusto Batalla, last summer, when they have already agreed terms for the goalkeeper to join the club on loan. However, Batalla finally decided to stay at River Plate. Florentino Perez hopes this will not happen with Patanelli.

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