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Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has criticised Spanish press in an interview with German website Sport1.de.

The Germany international believes “Spanish press is really extremist.” “Those who know me best, they know I’m not like a flag that changes with the wind, and Spanish media are like that. When you win one match, everything is good, and if you lose, they look in the opposite direction,” he said.

Kroos also admitted he was in need of some rest after playing almost all minutes for Real Madrid this season. “I have played so many games this year, and I haven’t had a winter break. It is normal to feel tired sometimes, but I can’t say I’m tired right now because I’m feeling good and happy at Real Madrid,” he added.

The 25-year-old explained he had spoken to Germany national team coach Joachim Low in order to get some rest in this week’s friendly against Australia: “Against Australia I wasn’t able to play, and the coach recognised it. He said I wasn’t going to play. I needed that rest.”

Kroos arrived at Real Madrid last summer from Bayern Munich and has become a key player for Carlo Ancelotti, helping Los Blancos conquer one European Supercup and one Club World Cup so far.

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Former Manchester United man Paul Scholes has said the Old Trafford club should do what they can to take Gareth Bale back to the Premier League as he could be a ‘great’ for the club.

Bale has come under fire this season from critics in the Spanish press and has been targeted by some Madrid ‘fans’ for what they consider below-par performances. He made the headlines this week when his car was attacked by two hooligans who had waited for him to emerge after the team arrived back in the Spanish capital following the defeat to Barcelona.

Those people have fairly short memories, as only 10 months ago, Bale was scoring crucial goals in the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League final to help the club enjoy one of its most significant years in its entire history.

Scholes, writing in his column in the Independent, said: “Of course, as a fan of my former club I would like to see him there but, looking at it objectively, I always felt that Bale was a natural fit for United as he developed at Tottenham from a left-back into one of the best attacking footballers in the country.

“He would be loved at Old Trafford. In return I believe he could turn Louis van Gaal’s team into serious title contenders next season. In my years at United I witnessed some signings who, over their careers, transformed the fortunes of the team.”

And he added: “Bale would be coming to United in a time of change when the team is looking for leaders. Madrid will always be in a state of upheaval, with new presidents and a fresh intake of players each summer.”

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Luka Modric

Former Real Madrid and Croatia player Robert Prosinecki has praised countryman Luka Modric, claiming he could lead the Croatian national team to a win in the European Championship.

“He is the boss of a generation that can exceed what we achieved in the 1998 France World Cup. We have a great national team and I think they are going to win title,” he told Goal.com.

Modric lead Croatia to a 5-1 victory against Norway to consolidate their lead in group H of the European Championship qualyfiers.

Prosinecki praised Croatia’s players talent: “Luka Modric, Rakitic, Mandzukic, Kovacic, Brozovic. We have great footballers with great talent that play in big European clubs. They are playing a good qualifying round and I hope we can have a great performance in the European Championship and, why not, win it.”

Prosinecki is now Azerbaijan’s national manager and is set to face Croatia next week. “It will be a especial game against Croatia. It will be the first time I don’t want them to win. We know it will be tough, but we will try to play a great game against them. After this match, I hope they win all games and qualify for the European Championship,” Prosinecki told Goal.com.

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Spain and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Pepe Reina has said David de Gea should be happy at Manchester United and not worry about a future with Real Madrid.

The young goalkeeper has won plaudits for his performances in a United shirt over the past couple of years, and seems to have attracted the attention of Real Madrid.

Rumours have suggested Los Blancos will target the ex-Atletico de Madrid man in the summer as they have identified him as the long-term successor to Iker Casillas at the Santiago Bernabeu.

But Reina, who spent much of his career at United’s fierce rivals Liverpool, said de Gea should be happy at United and not think about a move elsewhere.

“De Gea is one of the top goalkeepers in Europe and this year he has been superb,’ Reina told radio station, talkSPORT.

He added: “Maybe Real Madrid are looking for a goalkeeper and De Gea is one of the names suggested, but I think he should be happy enough to play for [Manchester] United.”

Reina joined Bayern Munich in the summer and has been understudy to Manuel Neuer in goal at the Allianz Arena. He was part of the Spain squad that won the World Cup in 2010.

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Real Madrid will rest this weekend due to the international matches. One of the most attractive games is the one between Netherlands and Spain. This article will remember one of the most inconsistent Dutchmen in Los Blancos history: Royston Drenthe.

Drenthe arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2007 as one of the most promising footballers in Europe. Real Madrid signed him from Feyenoord after having played only 34 games in the Eredivise. He had been named the best player of the Under-21 European Championship.

Drenthe won the fans’ admiration with a brilliant goal in his debut against Sevilla, scoring with a shot from 30 metres. However, as time passed, his brightness started to fade away. His minutes of play kept decreasing. Neither Bernd Schuster, nor Juande Ramos, nor Manuel Pellegrini gave him chances, and he started becoming famous for what he did outside the football pitch.

Thus, in 2010 Jose Mourinho decided that it was best to send him on loan for him to gain fitness and show his quality, so he could come back one day to the Santiago Bernabeu. That lead him to Hercules. His first games at the Alicante-based side was spectacular: He brilliantly led the recently promoted team to a win at the Camp Nou against Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona.

However, again his performances went from good to bad and he ended up appearing in the news for his life outside football –he had several traffic incidents, he called a TV reality show to intervene live, he decided to extend his holidays without the club’s permission… That had an influence in Hercules relegation, and he didn’t end in good term with the club’s directors.

Mourinho refused to have him on the squad for the 2011/12 season and he moved to Everton on loan. In England, he was a regular started at the beginning. However, things started twisting around mid-way through the season. Drenthe was absent from training during some time without the club’s permission and David Moyes, Everton manager back then, decided to put him aside.

At the end of the season his contract with Real Madrid expired and Los Blancos, as expected, didn’t offer him an extension. Drenthe had such a poor reputation at that moment that he was closed to retiring because no team was willing to offer him a contract due to his lack of discipline. And he was only 25 years old!

He didn’t get a contract until January 2013, when virtually unknown Alania Vladikavkaz from Russia came to rescue him. His good performances in Russia earned him a contract with Reading, from the British Premiership. He never really succeeded there and at the start of the current season he left on loan to Sheffield Wednesday, where he didn’t settle either.

In January he packed his bags and moved to Turkey to play for Kayseri Erciyesspor, where he’s still showing drops of the quality that once led Real Madrid to sign him.

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Schalke boss Roberto di Matteo has admitted he is interested in taking Real Madrid man Sami Khedira back to Germany but the club faces stiff competition for his signature.

The 28-year-old revealed this week that he will not be renewing his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu after a five-year stint in the Spanish capital. A host of injury problems have plagued the midfielder in the past two years and he has fallen down the pecking order at the club.

When revealing his decision to quit, Khedira said he was looking for a new challenge but hadn’t decided yet where that will be.

Speaking to Sport1, di Matteo, whose side came close to knocking Madrid out of the Champions League a couple of weeks ago, said he would be keen to take the player back to the Bundesliga.

“There is not a single coach in the world who would not want to have a player of his calibre in his team. The door is wide open for Khedira,” he said.

And he added: “However, I think he is spoilt for chance when it comes to picking his next destination. It will be very difficult to take him to Schalke.”

Premier League sides Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City have been rumoured to be monitoring his situation, while Fiorentina in Italy and Bayern Munich also remain keen.

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Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has said he doesn’t like being a leader or the focal point of the team despite playing the most minutes and pulling the strings in the heart of the Los Blancos team this season.

The German arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Bayern Munich last summer on the back of winning the World Cup with his country and has established himself as a key member of Carlo Ancelotti’s side.

In his first four months as a Real player, Kroos helped the side to wins in the European Super Cup final and Club World Cup final.

Speaking to the FIFA Magazine, the 24-year-old said he preferred staying out of the limelight and not taking the central role in the side.

“In general, I don’t really like being a leader, but the truth is that every time I step on the pitch, I try to take care of my responsibilities.  I’ve always been like that, wherever my position on the pitch.  My position requires me to be very involved in the game and be in constant contact with the ball.  Being constantly present is unavoidable.” he stated.

He also went on to discuss how he has adopted a more defensive role this season compared to where he played in the Bayern team.

“At the end of the day, what matters most is being a part of the team.  We only play with three midfielders, and I’m the one who has a more defensive role, but I’ve been in that position since the beginning of the season and I like it.  Of course, it was on request of the manager that I play there, but he agrees with my opinion on how I should play there.  I’m happy with how everything is going.  My position has been moving further back as the years go by and I have no problem with it.”

 

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Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema has said he believes he is good enough to emulate team mate Cristiano Ronaldo and win the Ballon d’Or.

The Portuguese picked up he second consecutive Ballon d’Or in January and the third of his career after firing Madrid to success in the Champions League and Copa del Rey last season as well as helping them lift the European Super Cup and World Club Cup.

Benzema is often seen as more of a workhorse by many, doing a lot of work unnoticed to aid his more glamorous strike partner. But following an impressive display in the Clasico last weekend, in which he assisted Ronaldo’s equaliser, Benzema says he has what it takes to win football’s top individual honour.

Speaking to Le Parisien, he said: “If I continue winning trophies, yes, I can win it one day. Barca-Real is the biggest game in the world. The standard is at its maximum, with very few technical errors. When you manage to be good in that kind of game, it means it’s possible for you to get closer to the level of Cristiano and [Lionel] Messi.

“On Sunday, I got myself to that level. Having said that, I am not going to score 80 or 100 goals in a season. They manage to do that, but I do other things.”

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Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has praised Spain and Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta and said he’d loved to have played with him at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The centre back, away on international duty with his country, said Iniesta was the type of person every mother would like their daughter to have referring to his quiet, unassuming nature.

Iniesta wrote himself into Spanish folklore by scoring the winning goal in the World Cup in South Africa almost five years ago as La Roja won the tournament for the first time.

Speaking to the media about the midfielder, who has spend almost 20 years at the Camp Nou since joining as a youngster, Ramos said: “Iniesta is the boyfriend that every mother wants. “The figures over his career tell you all you need to know. He is a magical player.

“There are few players in the world that can compare to him, but unfortunately he is not with us at Real Madrid,” he added.

Ramos was then asked by reporters about his own personal landmark – 10 years since making his debut for his country.

He commented: “Time passes very quickly and you don’t get to enjoy it properly. I look around and I feel old. But there’s been a lot of positives, like all the knowledge that Vicente del Bosque and Luis Aragones brought me that helped me become a better player and a better person.”

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Former Real Madrid player and manager Jorge Valdano has spoken of his optimism for a successful end to the campaign for Los Blancos thanks to the return of a number of senior players from injury.

Results so far in 2015 haven’t been as Real would have liked – they were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Atletico de Madrid, and they dropped points in La Liga against Barcelona, Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao and Atletico to damage their hopes of winning the league.

But speaking to reporters on Thursday, Valdano said he was hopeful of a positive end to the season – particularly in the Champions League – with Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez all returning to fitness. The holders take on beaten finalists Atletico next month in the quarter finals.

“Real Madrid will go into the tie in much better shape than in recent matches. Modric and Ramos are recovering and James is expected to be back,” he said.

And he added: “They need to play like they did in Barcelona, without making any mistakes. If they team are capable of reaching that level of concentration, then they have a great chance in both the Champions League and La Liga.”

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