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Former Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says he doesn’t think Cristiano Ronaldo will make a big money move away from the club before his playing days are over.

The Portugal international joined Los Blancos in 2009 and has since gone on to become the club’s all-time scorer. His brace against Malmo in the Champions League last week took him to 324 goals in 308 games, beyond the previous record set by legendary forward Raul.

But despite all the heroics for the 10-time Champions League winners, talk has always surround the striker’s future – with him never hiding his love of former club Manchester United. French side PSG have also been linked with trying to tempt Real into selling with a big money offer.

In an interview with Le Parisien, Ancelotti, who won the Copa del Rey and Champions League with Real in 2014, said he thinks Ronaldo will stay in the Spanish capital for many more years.

“He etched his name into the record books at Real Madrid the other day when he equaled Raul’s goalscoring record. I cannot imagine him leaving Real Madrid. I think he will stay at Madrid until the end of his career. Everybody at the club loves him,” the Italian stated.

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Atletico de Madrid forward Fernando Torres says Real Madrid will get good results with Rafa Benitez adding he’s not a defensive coach.

The Los Blancos boss has come in for criticism from some quarters following his decision to try and protect a 1-0 lead over their city rivals at the weekend rather than crank up the pressure and go for a second goal.

The move to replace Karim Benzema backfired as Diego Simeone’s side equalised with less than 10 minutes to go at the Vicente Calderon.

But talking to AS, Torres, who played under Benitez at Liverpool and Chelsea, says his former manager knows what he is doing.

“I know him quite well. We were together almost four years on two different teams. He’s not a defensive Coach. If they let him work they’ll see very good results,” he said.

Speaking about the derby, Torres added the Atletico players were pleased to take something from the game.

“We felt we dropped two points. It’s also true that every time you attack with more players you expose yourself to the counter. I don’t know if the last 10 minutes was good or bad. We had more desire to win, more enthusiasm, more chances, but we have to look at it as a point gained. I think what Atletico did in the second half should be admired and it wasn’t to do with Madrid. They were forced back by Atletico,” he commented.

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Real Madrid’s major summer signing Mateo Kovacic has said he’s been made to feel at home by the rest of the squad and has settled in quickly.

Some could forgive the 20-year-old former Inter Milan holding midfielder if he felt nervous walking into the dressing room at the Santiago Bernabeu only to be surrounded by plenty of world class stars.

But speaking to Sportske Novosti, the Croatian international said he’s been blown away by how helpful and friendly his team mates have been.

He stated: “Modric introduced me to all the guys in the Real team and they are great, big stars, but yet so simple. Ronaldo first approached me in the locker room and started to make jokes in Italian! And after that he explained to me what kind of pressure Real players face. He is very funny, likes to joke, and of course he enjoys a special status, he is the best player in the world!”

He also revealed his favourite position is holding down the midfield and took a swipe at his old side for playing him out of position.

“I prefer playing as holding midfielder. I’ve played an an offensive midfielder and a left winger – it was not bad, because now I know how to play those too. But, I believe Inter made a mistake with me, moving me and changing my natural position. And that is what Luka and Kroos play at Madrid and Iniesta at Barcelona,” he commented.

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Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos says he will listen to Rafa Benitez if he wants to discuss his mistake against Atletico de Madrid at the weekend.

The centre-back, recently recovered from a shoulder injury, gave away possession and then committed a foul in the penalty area to hand Real’s rivals a spot kick in the 1-1 draw.

Luckily for Ramos, Keylor Navas was on hand to save the spot kick. But Benitez told reporters afterwards he was not happy with his captain.

Speaking to reporters, the defender stated: “It was a childish mistake, but I won’t lose any sleep over it. Anything that Benitez has to say he can say when he sees me.”

And he continued: “I’m not bothered. We all make mistakes and we don’t do it on purpose. Luckily Keylor was on hand and it didn’t affect the final result. Just as people talk about my mistake, they’ll talk about the substitutions [Benitez made].

“We did things really well, but the team played far too deep towards the end of the game. The Vicente Calderon is a tough ground to play at and you just end up focusing on finishing the game, holding on and not looking for a goal.”

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Manchester United and Spain playmaker Juan Mata says Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez isn’t defensive and criticism of him is uncalled for.

The Los Blancos manager has come in for criticism in recent days following the 1-1 draw with Atletico de Madrid. Real held a 1-0 lead going into the final stages but rather than go for the killer second goal, the boss removed striker Karim Benzema as he looked to protect the lead. The move backfired as Atletico equalised with seven minutes left on the clock.

Speaking to Cadena Ser, Mata, who played for Benitez briefly when the 55-year-old was in charge of Chelsea, said: “I don’t consider him to be a defensive coach — he’s methodical, strategic and prepares for matches very well. When a Benitez team has to attack, they throw everything into it. He is a manager that lives for football. I had a very good relationship with him. When he was Chelsea manager I had my best year and he gave me a lot of confidence.”

The ex-Valencia man was then asked about hie experiences of playing for different managers having worked under some of the biggest names in the sport.

And he says he enjoyed working with current boss Louis van Gaal. He stated: “He’s very different. After that game on Sunday, Van Gaal was angry, so to speak, but I get on really well with him. He is as you see him in the press conferences — a really direct and honest person, which are qualities you can appreciate. He says what he has to say to your face, whether it’s good or bad. I like him as a coach. I like my managers to be good people and he is.”

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Former Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham has said Zinedine Zidane is the best player he ever played with.

The pair played alongside each other at the Santiago Bernabeu for three years between 2003 and 2006 and together lifted the Spanish Supercopa and La Liga titles.

They will come face-to-face next month at Old Trafford when a Great Britain and Ireland XI take on a World XI in a match aimed at raising funds for UNICEF.

At the launch event for the high profile friendly, Beckham was asked for his thoughts on the former World Player of the Year.

And he told reporters: “I was involved in picking the teams. Lot of interest and support. Zidane is a friend and possibly the best player I ever played with. I’m excited to be back. This game is something I’m very proud of. After retiring I didn’t think I’d be putting my boots on again.”

Since retiring from the game, both have taken different paths. Zidane worked under Carlo Ancelotti for a season before taking charge at Real Madrid Castilla as he aims for a career in management. Beckham, meanwhile, is in the midst of setting up a MLS franchise in Florida after ending his career in the US.

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Real Madrid start Gareth Bale has been named as Wales’ Player of the Year for a record fifth time.

The 25-year-old has played a key role in helping his country to the brink of qualification for the European Championships next summer – their first major tournament since 1958.

Wales need just one point from their two games against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Andorra this week to guarantee their place at the tournament which takes place in France.

Ahead of the games, the Wales players gathered for the awards ceremony hosted by the Football Association of Wales. Bale has picked up the Player of the Year Award for five of the past six seasons – and has now won the award more than any other player in his country’s history. Only Liverpool’s Joe Allen broke Bale’s run, winning the award in 2012.

Bale also picked up the Players’ Player of the Year and Fans’ Player of the Year awards.

Speaking after the ceremony, his national team boss Chris Coleman hailed his star player, saying: “Look at the last year and he’s scored some incredible goals for us. All the players have done fantastic, but in my book he deserves it because of what he’s done in this campaign.”

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The most recent Real Madrid signing, Mateo Kovacic, has quickly made a big impression, putting in some pretty good performances and becoming one of Rafa Benitez’s favourites.

However, outside the field, he’s not the only target of Madrid’s photo journalists. His girlfriend Izabel Andrijanic has caused a big stir in the Spanish capital with his beauty and charm, becoming one of the most admired Real Madrid WAGs.

Izabel surprised many in Kovacic’s unveiling as the new Los Blancos player. Spanish sports newspapers filled their pages with pictures of her the day after the event and the fans soon became fond of her.

The 21-year-old beauty is a Economics student from Croatia, although she has Swiss roots. She’s been dating Kovacic for four years now, since they were just a couple of teenagers.

izabel-andrijanic-mateo-kovacic-girlfriend

Izabel Andrijanic and Mateo Kovacic met at a church, just like Keylor Navas and his wife. They are both very religious. In fact, she was a singer in the church’s choir and he was an altar boy.

Despite having moved out of the town of Sesvetska, where they met, they have kept going to church every Sunday. And Kovacic has confessed he wears a t-shirt with the image of Jesus Christ under his Real Madrid kit when he plays.

Izabel has set his studies at the University of Zagreb aside to try to boost his career as a model. In Madrid, it will surely, especially after having drawn so much media attention at her arrival.

Kovacic has admitted he is truly in love with his girlfriend. He posts photos of her on his Instagram account very often. “I like her honesty, her simplicity and her decency. Of course she is physically attractive, but that’s not the most important for me. What matters is that she is a good person, kind and polite,” the Croatian footballer confessed.

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Real Madrid boss Rafa Benitez says he will have no issue substituting Karim Benzema in future games after the Frenchman appeared to be angry after being removed in the derby against Atletico de Madrid.

The 27-year-old opened the scoring at the Vicente Calderon with a header – his sixth league goal of the season so far. But he was taken off in the second half as Benitez looked to hold onto the slender lead. The move backfired as Atletico went on to score a late equaliser.

In an interview with Cadena Ser, Benitez played down any issue with Benzema, and suggested that if the striker wants to stay on the field in future, he should score more.

He stated: “I will take Benzema off again if it is needed. He is a phenomenon. Let him get mad. Next day, make sure you score twice instead of once. There are less troubles than what I read. People exaggerate too much, Real Madrid have a huge dimension.”

And he continued: “I did not have any argument with Karim. He can be angry, but we get along with each other. There is no problem at all but you will see 200 tweets and 300 websites talking about it. I have such a good relationship with him. I consider him a great player. I challenged him to reach 20-25 [goals]. If I were him, I would be angry as well. And if I was him, I would score twice and not once so the coach does not take me off.”

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Iker Casillas

Former Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has hailed current goalkeeper Keylor Navas for his brilliant start to the season.

The Costa Rican was close to leaving the club on the final day of the transfer window as he was part of the deal that would have seen David de Gea switch from Manchester United with the 28-year-old moving the opposite direction.

From almost being dumped by the club – he stayed because the deal collapsed at the final minute over the late arrival of paperwork – Navas has gone on to establish himself as the number one. He has kept six clean sheets in eight games and conceded just two goals all season. He endeared himself further to the Los Blancos fans when he saved Antoine Griezmann’s penalty in the 1-1 draw with city rivals Atletico de Madrid this weekend.

“Keylor’s doing fantastically well and having a very good season. It’s not an easy position, but Keylor – thanks to his seniority and performances – is doing well,” he told Madrid-based sports daily Marca.
And he added: “I hope he continues doing very well because that’ll make the team do well. I’m glad because Real Madrid need a top goalkeeper and hopefully they have one in Keylor. I hope Kiko Casilla does great too if he’s picked.”
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