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Mateo Kovacic

Real Madrid have officially announced the signing of Mateo Kovacic from Inter Milan. The Croatia international midfielder has agreed to a six-year deal with Los Blancos and will remain at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2021.

Kovacic is the player Rafa Benitez had requested to reinforce the midfield line. He is a talented 21-year-old footballer and one of the biggest prospects in European football.

Real Madrid have published the following statement on their website:

Real Madrid C. F. and Inter Milan have agreed to the transfer of Mateo Kovacic, he will remain at the club for the next six seasons.
The player will be presented tomorrow, Wednesday 19 August at 1pm, in the presidential box at the Santiago Bernabéu, after undergoing a medical.
Afterwards, Mateo Kovacic will step out onto the pitch at the Santiago Bernabéu for the first time wearing the Real Madrid shirt and talk to the media in the press room.

Although Los Blancos will kick off the La Liga season next Sunday at Gijon, Kovacic is not expected to make it in the squad.

Kovacic grew up at Dinamo Zagreb before signing for Inter in the winter transfer market of 2013. In three seasons at Milan he has made 97 appearances and scored eight goals.

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It’s been the subject of much debate in pubs and bars over recent years – who is the better of the two between Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi.

Many consider a number of factors when reaching their conclusions and deciding in which camp to put themselves into. Goals scored, impact had on the international scene, amount of trophies won, the number of Ballon d’Ors.

And while it is sometimes difficult to decide, Real Madrid man Ronaldo is clearly leading in one particular category – the number of babies named after him in the UK.

According to the Office for National Statistics in England and Wales, 11 babies were named after the Los Blancos striker last year compared to just four being given the name Messi.

Figures show though that even reaching double figures, 11 is still some way off Ronaldo’s peak. While still a Manchester United player in 2007 and 2008, the 30-year-old had 21 youngsters named after him in both years.

Messi, meanwhile has been more consistent over the past few years. In 2009, when he first appeared in the baby name list, there were 6 babies named after him. Interestingly, club team mate Neymar beat the Argentinean in the baby name list in 2014. Eight babies were named after the Brazilian compared to Messi’s six.

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Former Reeal Madrid boss Jose Mourinho wants to raid his old club for Isco to boost his Chelsea side after a poor start to the Premier League campaign.

The Blues drew their opening game at home to Swansea and the self-anointed Special One couldn’t do anything at the weekend as his team were hammered by Manchester City.

And reports in Spain and the UK says the Portuguese wants to add some attacking verve to his side with the addition of Isco. The 22-year-old has be linked with a move to a number of clubs this summer even though he is happy in Madrid and very much part of Rafa Benitez’ first team plans.

The latest rumours suggest the west London side would be prepared to pay 45 million euros for the former Malaga man, who is also attracting the interest of Manchester City and Juventus.

Isco joined Madrid two years ago from the Andalucian side and initially struggled to find his place in the side – very much a victim of ex-boss Carlo Ancelotti’s preference of the 4-3-3 system. Last season, in the absence of Luka Modric, Isco reinvented himself and performed brilliantly in the heart of midfield for the 10-time Champions League winners.

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Cristiano Ronaldo may be one of the richest sportsmen on the planet at the moment and is used to picking up many awards for his team and on a personal level.

And this week he has been recognised yet again for his efforts – but this time for his charity work.

The 30-year-old has won the inaugural “Athletes Done Good” award by dosomething.org for his charity giving and amount of work he does for a number of organisations.

The striker, who is closing in on Raul’s record as the top scorer in the history of the club, has long been praised for his philanthropic work. Some examples of his efforts include donating 150,000 euros to open a cancer centre in his native Portugal. He also made a contribution of 75,000 euros to pay for a 10-year-old fan to receive life saving brain surgery.

In addition to that, Ronaldo has raised awareness of a number of issues, including child hunger, HIV and drug addiction. He also willing takes part in a number of fundraising fixtures such as the “11 against Ebola”.

Barcelona forward Neymar is the only other football to appear in the top 20. He has funded many educational projects in Brazil. Other high profile sportmen and women on the list include Serena Williams (tennis), LeBron James (basketball), and Dan Carter (rugby).

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Sergio Ramos has admitted he wasn’t happy with certain things but insisted money wasn’t the problem in the negotiations to extend his contract with Real Madrid.

The Los Blancos defender confessed “it’s true that I wasn’t comfortable with certain things but that has all been cleared up.” “Had it come down to financial reasons I wouldn’t have stayed, because I could have earned more elsewhere,” he revealed.

In the press conference to announce his contract extension until 2020, Ramos acknowledged “this was a drawn-out renewal process but my head and my heart were always here. I couldn’t be happier and as I always say, Hala Madrid!”

“Being part of this club is a dream that I would like to last for as long as possible. Playing for the greatest club in the world and wearing the captain’s armband is an honour and a privilege, but it also entails a level of commitment and responsibility that I will continue to approach with excitement, sincerity and honesty,” the Andalusian added.

The 29-year-old dismissed the rumours about his desire to leave the club: “I never said that I wanted to leave. It was always my intention to stay here and my dream is to be able to retire with Real Madrid. I now have a new challenge ahead which is captaining the team, and I’ll take on this role with the upmost honesty. I hope to repay this joy to the supporters by winning titles.”

Ramos also addressed the topic of his relationship with the fans: “I hope they show me the same level of affection they have always shown me. I have never felt unloved here. We’re always subject to the performances expected of us, but every Real Madrid player has to live with that challenge and show complete commitment. I’ve always felt really loved and I think that will continue to be the case.”

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Sergio Ramos

Real Madrid have officially announced that Sergio Ramos has signed a contract extension that will keep him at the Santiago Bernabeu for the next five seasons.

After many weeks of negotiations and rumours of a possible move to Manchester United, Los Blancos have finally agreed terms with the Spanish defender.

Ramos will earn between 8.5 and 10 million euros per season, depending on the objectives reached. He will be a Los Merengues player until the summer of 2020, when he will be 34 years old.

Real Madrid have published the following statement on their website:

Today, Monday 17 August, at 1:30pm CEST, an event will be held in the Santiago Bernabeu’s presidential box to mark Sergio Ramos’ contract renewal. Presiding over the event will be the Real Madrid president, Florentino Pérez, and the player himself, who will remain at the club for the next five seasons.

The 29-year-old has played for Real during the last ten seasons, and he will reach 15 if he stays at the Santiago Bernabeu until his contract expires. Ramos has made 445 appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 55 goals.

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Paris Saint-Germain want to sign Real Madrid youngster Martin Odegaard, Roma are keen on Nacho Fernandez and Los Blancos are still trying to bring Fernando Llorente, according to the latest transfer rumours published by the European press.

French website Le 10 Sport has stated PSG have contacted Los Merengues to show their interest in signing Odegaard on a one-year loan. Los Blancos directors want Odegaard to stay at Real Madrid Castilla because they believe he won’t have enough minutes of play if he moves to a bigger club.

Odegaard wanted to join a first division side this season, but it seems Real have convinced them to stay at the reserves team. However, an offer from such a big club could make him change his mind.

Nacho on Roma radar
Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed Nacho Fernandez is one of the players Roma are considering to reinforce their defence. The Los Blancos centre-back has emerged at top of a list that includes Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Jannik Vestergaard (Werder Bremen) and Alexander Milosevic (Besiktas).

Nacho has recently signed a six-year contract extension with Los Blancos, but he knows he will not have many minutes of play with Sergio Ramos, Pepe and Raphael Varane ahead of him in the rotation. Thus, he would have to make a tough decision if Roma finally make an offer.

Llorente closer to Madrid
Spanish daily Marca has published Rafa Benitez wants to sign a back-up striker and Fernando Llorente is the first option. Juventus have too many strikers and it seems necessary for one of them to leave, and Llorente has every chance of moving.

Tottenham, Sevilla, Manchester United and Athletic Bilbao are also interested in signing him, but his first option is Real Madrid. His arrival would prevent youngster Borja Mayoral from getting some first-team action, so Los Blancos will have to decide if bringing Llorente is the right decision.

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Iker Casillas

Real Madrid legend Jose Antonio Camacho says the former goalkeeper Iker Casillas will love every moment of playing in Portugal and will be adored by the Porto fans.

The 34-year-old ex-captain of Los Blancos left the Santiago Bernabeu for the Estadio Dragao side earlier this summer after 25 years in the Spanish capital. While Casillas will undoubtedly go down as a legend for Los Blancos and fans will remember all his great moments, the World Cup winner had to endure a tough end to his career in La Liga.

Casillas was booed by certain sections of the Madridista fanbase for a couple of years – something that dates back to him being dropped by Jose Mourinho and the ex-boss believing he was the source of dressing room leaks.

Speaking to Marca, Camacho, who played more than 400 games for Madrid and also managed in Portugal with Benfica, said Casillas will enjoy his time over the border.

Asked about Casillas’ situation with the criticism, Camacho said: “You just don’t understand those reactions.”

He went on to say: “The Portuguese fans aren’t like Real Madrid’s. Here, they were waiting for Iker to make a mistake. It won’t be like that over there. They’ll praise him to the skies. They didn’t value his performances here anymore.”

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Mateo Kovacic

Media reports in Italy have suggested Inter Milan playmaker Mateo Kovacic is set to move to Real Madrid imminently.

The Croatia international has been linked with Premier League side Liverpool all summer with the UK press claiming Reds boss Brendan Rodgers was prepared to pay 25 million euros to secure his services.

But Italian sports paper Gazzetta dello Sport says Real have trumped Liverpool with a 30 million euro offer that has been accepted. While the clubs have agreed a fee, the paper says, no official confirmation will be made until Kovacic has agreed a contract with the 10-time Champions League winners.

The attacking midfielder is believed to be keen on a move to the Spanish capital where he will link up will fellow Croatia international and mentor Luka Modric. According to Gazzetta, the Real hierarchy see Kovacic as the long-term successor to Modric and want him to play for the next few years with him and learning from him.

Since breaking into the Inter first team two years ago, the youngster has made more than 80 appearances for the Seria A giants.

The deal may not be the last of the business between Real and Inter this summer, as Rafa Benitez’ former club are said to be interested in taking Fabio Coentrao to the San Siro.

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Juventus could be ready to launch a 40-million-euro bid to sign Real Madrid playmaker Isco, Italian newspaper La Repubilcca has claimed.

The North-Italy side have seen several important players leave this summer -Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez- and they need a quality signing to get he fans’ hopes up.

According to La Republicca, Juve have two names in their wish list: Julian Draxler and Isco. However, neither Schalke nor Real Madrid seem willing to negotiate a sale.

Isco does not have a place in the starting eleven guaranteed at Madrid, but he is a key player for Rafa Benitez and one of the fans favourites, so it seems highly unlikely that Los Blancos will let him go.

Isco signed for Los Merengues two years ago in a 30-million-euro deal. Selling him for 40 million would make the club earn ten million, but that’s not enough revenue to make Florentino Perez even consider it.

In his two seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, Isco has played 105 games, scoring 17 goals and providing 19 assists. He has won one Champions League, one Copa del Rey and one European Supercup.

Should Juve come in with a bid, they could face competition from Manchester City, who have long been linked with the player.

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