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PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Real Madrid man Cristiano Ronaldo took all the credit for Wayne Rooney’s hard work at Manchester United when he still played for the Red Devils.

Rooney and Ronaldo formed a devastating partnership at Old Trafford before the Portuguese left the Premier League for La Liga in 2009.

The 2006-07 season was on in which the pair really started to set the world alight with their understanding on the field. That season, United lifted the Premier League title and were losing finalists in the FA Cup. They also made it to the semi-final of the Champions League.

And speaking to the BBC, Ibrahimovic praised Englishman Rooney, who this month became his country’s all-time leading goalscorer. He added that the United captain deserves more credit than he gets for the time he played alongside Ronaldo.

“These great players, they have their moments over one to three years. But to continue over five years, for 10 years the way Wayne Rooney has done is not easy. It’s pressure everyday playing for a big team. He runs a lot, he fights a lot, he sacrifices a lot.”

He added: “When he played with Cristiano Ronaldo all the work was done by Rooney, but he didn’t get the credit because Ronaldo was scoring all of the goals. I’d prefer to have him in my team than play against him. I’ve not been lucky enough to play with him but I enjoy seeing him on the pitch – if I cannot play with him, I will watch him.”

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UK media are reporting that FA Cup holders Arsenal are still keen on signing Real Madrid playmaker Isco.

The Metro says Gunners boss Arsene Wenger is keeping tabs on the Spain international and could even make a bid for him when the transfer window opens in January.

Isco was linked with a move away from the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer with the likes of Chelsea and Juventus rumoured to be interested in him as well as Manchester City, who are managed by his former boss at Malaga, Manuel Pellegrini.

The 23-year-old stayed with the 10-time Champions League winners to battle it out with the likes of Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Luka Modric. With the former two currently out injured, Isco is enjoying a run in the side, but fears he could lose his place once they return to fitness.

The midfielder, who started 26 times in La Liga and featured a further eight more times from the bench, doesn’t want to lose his place in Rafa Benitez’ side particularly in the latter stages of the season with the European Championships taking place next summer.

Since joining Los Blancos in a 30 million deal two years ago, Isco has played 113 games from Madrid, scoring 17 times.

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Former Real Madrid player and current sporting director Emilio Butragueno says Ignacio Zoco personified everything about Real Madrid.

The 76-year-old ex-defensive midfielder died on Monday in Madrid. During an illustrious playing career, Zoco played 434 games for Los Blancos and won seven league titles between 1962 and 1974. He also won the European Cup with Real in 1966 and the European Championship with Spain in 1964.

After he retired from the game, Zoco remained closely linked with the club, serving on the board of directors as well as first team match delegate for four years between 1994 and 1998.

Butragueno hailed Zoco as one of a kind and for being a true role model on and off the pitch.

“He belonged to our club’s golden era. He was a legendary man for many reasons, not only for what he gave us on the pitch. He remained a role model and personified the values of this club,” he told the club’s official website.

And he added: “This is a very sad day for Real Madrid. When I made it to the first team, he had become a delegate and we had a lot of contact with him. He played an extremely important role in the Association of Former Players. The team will wear black armbands on Wednesday.”

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Former Real Madrid player Chicharito Hernandez has confessed his season at the Santiago Bernabeu “wasn’t all rosy” as his first months at the club were “broadly bad”.

The current Bayer Leverkusen player was interviewed by Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of his Champions League clash against Barcelona.

Chicharito explained he cannot really tell about Real Madrid’s magnitude: “I don’t know if I’d exactly call what I experienced and felt ‘magnitude’. I enjoyed it to the max and I learned loads both from my first six months, which were broadly bad, and the following six, which were better. It wasn’t all rosy.”

The Mexico international admitted it is hard to have to wait on a team-mate getting injured in order to play. “It’s tough, but in my mind I’ve never seen it as someone having to get injured for me to play. The bad part is not playing. You always have to wait for your chance in this profession, and that wait is the toughest thing.”

Asked about the recent injury Leo Messi has suffered, Chicharito said “it’s always bad when a player gets injured.” “It can’t be good to celebrate any injury. Seeing another human suffer is never a nice thing. You can’t take any pleasure from it. Health is the most important thing in life,” he added.

The 27-year-old scored his first goal for Bayer Leverkusen last week and seems pretty happy in Germany: “I’m really well. I’m very happy. I want to get the most out of it. I’ve signed for three years and I want to learn and enjoy it.”

Asked whether last season was the toughest in his career, Chicharito explained “every year is tough.” “That’s the beauty of it too because I learn a lot from both the rough and the smooth,” he told Marca.

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Iker Casillas

Former Real Madrid captain Iker Casillas has been voted the best goalkeeper in the history of the Champions League by readers of football website goal.com.

The 34-year-old shot stopper is set to break the competition record for most appearances this week. When Porto take on Chelsea, Casillas will play his 152nd game in the Champions League, overtaking ex-Spain and Barcelona midfielder Xavi.

To celebrate the occasion, goal.com polled its readers as to who is the greatest shot stopper to feature in the Champions League since it was rebranded in 1992.

More than 50,000 readers responded to the poll with a third (33%) saying Casillas is the best in the competiton. Juventus and Italy legend Gianluigi Buffon came second in the poll with 19%.

Two ex-Manchester United goalkeepers featured third and fourth Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar pulling 10% and 9% respectively. Other keepers to feature in the list included Oliver Khan (8%), Petr Cech (7%), Nelson Dida (4%) and Victor Valdes (3%).

In his time as a Los Blancos player, Casillas won the Champions League three times. The most recent, in 2014, he captained the side to their 10th European crown – a trophy they had been waiting 12 years for.

The shot stopper brought the curtain down on his 25-year association with the club in the summer when he signed for Porto.

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Former Real Madrid midfielder Ignacio Zoco, who play a key part in the team that dominated La Liga in the 1960s has died at the age of 76.

The ex-Spain international played for Real for between 1962 and 1964 after joining the Santiago Bernabeu side from Osasuna.

Zoco, who played as a defensive midfielder made 434 competitive appearances for Real. His haul of trophies included seven La Liga titles as well as the European Cup in 1966 when Los Blancos defeated Partizan in Brussels. Zoco also featured in the Spain team that won the European Championship in 1964, with La Roja having to wait until 2008 to win it again.

After retiring as a player, Zoco remained closely associated with Real and spent four years between 1994 and 1998 serving as first-team match delegate. He also served on the board of directors.

A statement on the club’s official website read: “He was a member of the midfield of the ‘ye-ye’ Real Madrid side that dominated Spanish football during the 1960s, and in his time as a player for the Whites won one European Cup, seven La Liga titles and two Spanish Cups. His entire life was dedicated to the club, where he was also first-team match delegate from 1994 to 1998. Prior to his death, he had been serving as president of Real Madrid’s association of former players. Real Madrid extends its sincerest condolences to his family.”

Everyone at Realmadridnews.com extends their condolences to Ignacio Zoco’s family.

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Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik says his side plays a more free flowing style of football this season compared to when Rafa Benitez was in charge.

The Seria A side began the season in slow fashion but sent out a message of intent at the weekend with an impressive 2-1 win over champions Juventus. Former Los Blancos striker Gonzalo Hugain found the net to help his team secure the three points.

Maurizio Sarri replaced Benitez in the dugout when he left to take charge of Los Blancos. And while some initially criticised the choice, including club icon Diego Maradona, Hamsik says the players are delighted with how things are going this season.

Speaking to Rai Sport, he stated: “We did what the coach asked of us on the pitch. I’m happy to be right in the middle of the action compared to last year. I really like this style of football. We’re a much more dynamic and compact side. We play with the ball much more compared to last year, when we focused on long balls.”

Benitez spent two years in Italy prior to taking charge at the Santiago Bernabeu. In his time in Seria A, he guided Napoli to the Italian Cup and Supercup.

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Marco Asensio

Marco Asensio is unsure whether he will return to Real Madrid at the end of the season when his loan deal with Espanyol is up.

The 19-year-old midfielder joined Los Blancos from Real Mallorca in January and was immediately loaned back to the club for the remainder of the campaign.

Although he began pre-season at Valdebebas with the 10-time Champions League winners, the youngster ended up at Espanyol prior to the close of the transfer window at the start of September.

After featuring for his current side against Valencia at the weekend, Asensio said he was happy with how his move has gone so far and hasn’t thought about returning to Madrid yet.

“It was very exciting to receive the fans’ support. It helps me and the team. When we’re united, wins like the one against Valencia are achieved. As for the praise, I’m taking it easy,” Asensio told reporters.

And he added: “It’s too early to assess whether I will return to Madrid. We’ll see what happens at the end of the season.”

With the likes of Luka Modric, James Rodriguez, Lucas Vasquez and Isco all ahead of him in the pecking order at the Santiago Bernabeu, another temporary deal next season may aid his footballing education.

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Seria A side Napoli have denied reports striker Gonzalo Higuain slated former Real Madrid team mate Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview.

Quotes attributed to the Argentinean, who made the switch from the Santiago Bernabeu to Italy two years ago, were highly damning of his ex-strike partner.

Spanish publication Don Balon published comments by the forward, who scored for Napoli in their 2-1 win over champions Juventus at the weekend, in which he said Ronaldo was over-rated.

“He [Ronaldo] has a lot of ego. If you don’t say he’s the best, he’s not your friend. Cristiano thinks he’s the best but he’s over-rated. I’ve shared a dressing room with Messi and one is nothing like the other,” Higuain was quoted as saying.

But his club has dismissed the comments, saying Higuain never gave an interview to Don Balon in the first place.

A statement released by the club read: “Napoli and Higuain categorically deny ever he has been granted an interview with ‘Don Balon’. Therefore the sentences attributed to Higuain are considered false and without any foundation.”

Higuain played 264 games for Los Blancos after arriving in the Spanish capital as an 18-year-old. He netted 122 goals in his time at the club and won three La Liga titles as well as the Copa del Rey and two Spanish Super Cups.

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Liverpool have emerged as favourites to land Real Madrid winger Denis Cheryshev in the next January transfer window, according to reports.

The Russia international is not getting the expected minutes of play at the Santiago Bernabeu, and he will very likely look for a way out in Christmas if nothing changes.

Brendan Rodgers is a big fan of the 24-year-old and will try to convince him to move to Anfield Road. Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal are also pursuing Cheryshev’s signing.

The Real Madrid home-grown midfielder made his debut for Los Merengues against Granada, playing 13 minutes in the 1-0 victory last week.

However, yesterday against Malaga, he didn’t play a single minute despite Jese Rodriguez’s injury. Benitez chose Mateo Kovacic to replace the Spaniard and that was the only substitution he made in the game.

Cheryshev impressed last year during his season on loan at Villarreal, helping the team finish sixth in La Liga and reach the Copa del Rey semi-finals. He made 33 appearances, scoring six goals and providing nine assists.

Valencia were close to landing Cheryshev in the last week of the summer transfer market, but Benitez finally decided to keep him.

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