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Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo has been named on the three-man shortlist for the UEFA Best Player in Europe award.

The 30-year-old is joined by Barcelona pair Leo Messi and Luis Suarez with the winner set to be announced on August 27 at the draw for the group stage of the Champions League.

Ronaldo, the holder of the Ballon d’Or, enjoyed a spectacular season on a personal level last time out. When many have already ran out of superlatives to describe him and his goalscoring feats, the Portugal international hit 61 goals for his club in all competitions – his best season to date.

He missed out on major honours with his team though, as both Messi and Suarez were key members of the Barcelona team that won the treble – Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey.

UEFA also revealed the top 10 players on the list, which included five members of the Juventus side that was beaten in the Champions League final – Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba. The other two on the list were Chelsea’s Eden Hazard and Barcelona’s other striker Neymar.

Ronaldo and Messi have previously won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award, along with Andres Iniesta and Franck Ribery. This year’s winner will be decided by a vote carried out journalists from the 54 member associations of UEFA.

 

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Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa will reject offers to move to the USA in favour of staying at the Santiago Bernabeu, reports say.

Madrid-based daily Marca says the 32-year-old has attracted the interest of a number of clubs in the MLS where he could enjoy a final payday as he enters the autumn of his career.

And with the right back falling down the pecking order, Madridistas would forgive Arbeloa if he decided to take up the opportunity to play regular first team football elsewhere. The 56-cap Spain international found himself behind Daniel Carvajal last season and wil fall further behind in Rafa Benitez’ thought this season following the arrival of Danilo from Porto.

But Marca says despite options to move Arbeloa is settled in the Spanish capital and doesn’t want to uproot his family.

Should any US-based clubs decide to explore his signing though, they could face competition from Premier League side Liverpool, who retain an interest in taking the defender back to Anfield, where he played his football between 2007 and 2009.

Arbeloa, who grew up in the Madrid youth teams but left for Deportivo La Coruna, returned to Madrid in 2009 and has since gone on to make 143 appearances in La Liga.

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Real Madrid defender Pepe is set to sign a one-year contract extension, media reports have suggested.

Madrid-based sports daily AS claims Los Blancos were keen to avoid a situation where they risked losing him on a free transfer at the end of this season and have tied him down until 2017, by which time the Portugal international will be 34 years old.

The centre back would have been free to negotiate a Bosman transfer in January had he not agreed the extension but Real didn’t want a repeat of the situation in which Sami Khedira ran his contract down before switching to Juventus.

AS also says Rafa Benitez and the rest of the Madrid hierarchy want Pepe to continue mentoring Raphael Varane as he continues his progression at the club.

News of Pepe’s contract extension will please Madridistas as it means two of the side’s most senior figures have been tied to new deals with defensive partner Sergio Ramos set to sign a contract extension.

Pepe is currently working on his fitness at the moment having picked up a knock during the Audi Cup. He is expected to be out for two to three weeks and looks to miss the season opener against Sporting Gijon.

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A new poll has shown an overwhelming majority of Real Madrid fans think the club should abandon their efforts to sign David de Gea this summer and get him on a free next year.

Los Blancos have been linked with the Manchester United goalkeeper all summer, but so far have been unsuccessful in their attempts as the Red Devils want a world record deal for a goalkeeper – 45 million euros or more.

Real are not willing to go that high considering de Gea only has a year to run on his deal at Old Trafford and has so far not signed a new one.

With Los Blancos having signed Kiko Casilla this summer and already having Costa Rican shot stopper Keylor Navas on their books, the goalkeeping position is well covered. And a poll carried out by AS shows Madridistas would rather the funds be used elsewhere in the team.

Of the 4,482 fans polled by the sports paper, 3,851 (86%) said Real should not bother signing de Gea this summer. Only 631 people said de Gea should be signed during this transfer window.

While it would make sense to put the signing on hold – especially as de Gea is keen on a move to the Santiago Bernabeu – it wouldn’t be surprising to see Los Blancos shell out this summer. Danilo and Toni Kroos were both signed for significant fees just a year before they could have arrived on a free.

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Sergio Ramos is set to put an end to this summer of uncertainty by signing a new contract at Real Madrid, according to reports.

The 29-year-old has been strongly linked with Manchester United after reportedly becoming angry with club president Florentino Perez for refusing to meet his wag demands over a new deal. Media outlets had said Ramos wanted parity with the club’s top earners if he were to sign a new contract, which still has two years to run.

But since the pair met for talks while the team was on tour in China, various discussions have taken place via representatives including Ramos’ brother and agent Rene, and the two parties appear to have reached an agreement.

Some media in Spain are suggesting Ramos, who will take over the captaincy of the club from Iker Casillas, will sign his new deal on Thursday. It will keep him at the club until 2020 and will see his salary rise from a basic six million euros a year to nine million euros.

The news will be a relief for new boss Rafa Benitez who will want to go into the new campaign with a united squad ready to wrestle the La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles back off Barcelona.

 

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Former Real Madrid playmaker Kaka says the club is unlikely to sell forward Karim Benzema this summer.

The French forward has been linked with FA Cup and Community Shield winners Arsenal for a number of weeks, with the Gunners reportedly ready to pay up to 50 million euros to take him to the Emirates Stadium.

Real and not in a hurry to sell, and Benzema remains a favourite of club president Florentino Perez, but should they receive a huge offer for the 27-year-old it is believed they would consider it.

But Kaka, who played at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2009 and 2013 alongside the striker, said Benzema is one of the best forwards in the world who Real will unlikely look to sell anytime soon.

The 33-year-old told talkSport: “I think Benzema is one of the best forwards at this moment so I don’t think Real Madrid will give him away so easily. But Karim Benzema is a very good player and if he can have the opportunity to go to Arsenal then Arsenal will take a very, very good player.”

Kaka signed for Los Blancos from AC Milan and made 120 appearances for the club in total, scoring 29 goals before returning to the San Siro. He now plays for Orlando Pirates in the MLS although spent last season on loan at Sao Paulo.

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Fabio Coentrao

Seria A giants Inter Milan have turned to Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao in their search for a new left back, according to reports.

Corriere dello Sport claimed the San Siro side had considered moves for Manchester City’s Gael Clichy and Zenit’s Domenico Cristico but have instead switched attention to the Portugal international – who is willing to leave the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 27-year-old has struggled with injury for the past couple of years and has lost his place to Marcelo in the starting line up at the 10-time Champions League winners. Since joining the club in 2011 for 30 million euros, Coentrao has only played in a third of Real’s games.

Problems on and off the field have seen him fall out of favour with his bosses at the club and he has already come close to leave before.

Two years ago, a deadline day loan move to Manchester United broke down at the 11th hour leaving Coentrao in tears. Should Coentrao make a move from Real, he won’t be short of admirers and Inter could face competition for his signature. Premier League side Chelsea are believed to be keen in a move that would see him link up with Jose Mourinho again while former club Benfica would be ready to bring him back to Portugal.

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Manchester United have named David de Gea in their Champions League squad for the tie against Club Brugge in a sign they are ready to play hardball with Real Madrid.

Los Blancos have been chasing the keeper all summer long and are still keen to secure his signature before the end of the transfer window.

So far though, United have refused to deal with the 10-time Champions League winners and expect them to pay around 35 million euros for their two time Player of the Year. With just one year left on his contract, Real are unwilling to go above 20 million euros, knowing they can get him on a free transfer next summer.

United boss Louis van Gaal left de Gea out of the side for the season opener against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend – which some interpreted as a sign they are finally accepting he will leave.

But the Red Devils included de Gea in their squad for their Champions League qualifier against the Belgian side. The winner of the two-legged affair will feature in the group stages of this season’s competition.

De Gea signed for United in 2011 from Atletico de Madrid. He is thought to be keen on a move back to the Spanish capital to be closer to his family.

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Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo have returned to training with Real Madrid after missing the draw with Valarenga at the weekend with slight knocks.

Ramos, who looks set to sign a new deal at the club rather than switch to Premier League giants Manchester United, was injured in the Audi Cup defeat to Bayern Munich last week and sat out the trip to Norway.

Ronaldo missed the trip to Germany altogether with a back problem and didn’t travel to Norway so he could focus on his recovery.

A statement on the club’s official website confirmed the pair were back in action on Tuesday though. It read: “Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo trained on the pitch and in the interior facilities at Ciudad Real Madrid, led by club specialists.”

The pair are expected to be fit for the Bernabeu Trophy next Tuesday when the hosts take on Turkish outfit Galatasaray. There is no doubt they will also both bit ready for the season opener against Sporting Gijon on August 23.

Last week, Real boss Rafa Benitez played down reports of an injury crisis at the club. Some media outlets suggested six key players were injured, but the boss said it wasn’t serious, with just Pepe out for a few weeks.

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Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo features as a character in a YouTube video of Grand Theft Auto V.

A fan video made by

  • YouTuber

    • TheFIFA11Videos shows a computerised version of the Portuguese international take to the streets featured in the game.

    As any other character of Grand Theft Auto, Ronaldo has plenty of fun in the virtual crime world. For instance, he kicks the ball at a man on a motorbike and stands atop of two trucks moving at high speed.

    In the video, Ronaldo also gets some bizarre haircuts, similar to those of footballers Marcelo and Andrea Pirlo. He also gets his car painted with Real Madrid colours and badge.

    And of course, he makes a trip to a strip club, otherwise it would not be a GTA video.

    Are Rockstar Games planning on including Ronaldo as a character in their next Grand Theft Auto video game? It seems highly unlikely, but should they dress him in proper clothes -and not his Real Madrid kit- it could probably work.

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