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Real Madrid legend Jose Maria Gutierrez ‘Guti’ has praised Los Blancos playmaker Isco following the Andalusian’s superb performance at Elche.

The former Los Merengues player said at Spanish television show El Chiringuito that Isco “will be among the world’s top five players in the next few years.”

“Isco has grown a lot. Real Madrid has plenty of world-class players but the effort he makes is impressive. He is a player with great future and Madrid fans must be very happy. Let’s hope he keeps playing like this in the next games,” Guti said.

“At the moment, Real Madrid is all about Isco and Cristiano Ronaldo, and then nine more. There are a few players who know they have a guaranteed spot in the starting eleven, like Cristiano, Bale and Benzema,” Guti added.

Speaking about Los Merengues midfield, Guti stated “Illarramendi and Lucas Silva lack creativity. They struggle to combine with the forwards and Real Madrid are having problems with that.”

Isco received a standing ovation from Elche fans in Los Blancos 0-2 victory over the Valencian club. Elche manager Fran Escriba admitted “he’s the best player of his generation.”

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Florentino Perez, Real Madrid president

Real Madrid Foundation has announced the opening of two new football academies in Miami, aimed at helping kids in poor areas of the city.

The Spanish club has joined the International Studies Foundation in an effort to contribute to social integration of the Spanish community in Southern Florida. The president of the foundation, Maria Diaz de la Cebosa, explained they are “willing to help kids in disadvantaged situations to help them to get involved in extracurricular activities.”

The program is targeted to children between seven and ten years old. “Many of them have difficulties to have access to three weekly hours of football,” Cebosa said.

Real Madrid unveiled this project at Ernest R Graham Elementary School in Miami, where 120 who will benefit from this program were present. The club hopes football can help these kids develop skills like “comradeship, team-work, leadership, commitment and responsibility.”

Madrid have already launched similar projects in other parts of the United States, such as Virginia, Massachusetts and Texas.

Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho praised Real Madrid Foundation’s project: “Children need to understand their lives are not only influenced by teachers, but also by physical education that teaches team-work and personal skills.”

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Karim Benzema

Karim Benzema has hailed Real Madrid’s win over Elche and said the side is back in form and hungry for the title.

The Frenchman continued his good form of late by netting in the 2-0 with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the other goal. That win, combined with Barcelona’s loss at home to Malaga, means Los Blancos are four points clear of their bitter rivals in the race for La Liga.

Speaking afterwards to reporters, Benzema said the players had worked hard in recent weeks to get back on track and if they create as many opportunities in their remaining games as they did against Elche, they’ll be fine.

“We won and felt good doing it, we played very well.  We defended together, attacked together and right now we’re a lot better.  I don’t know if it’s down to attitude, but you can see we’re back in form.  When we’re good, like today, we create a lot of scoring chances,” he said.

He added that it could have been more comfortable had his second effort not been ruled out for offside.

“Goal ruled offside? I scored the goal at a very key moment, it’s a shame.  But the most important thing is the club won,” the France international commented.

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Porto right-back Danilo has put talks over a new contract at the club on hold amid reports of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, it has been reported.

The 23-year-old has a deal with Julen Lopetegui’s side until the summer of 2016 and the Portuguese club is keen to extend. But with the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool hovering, the player has delayed talks, according to A Bola.

The player currently has a 50 million euro release clause and Porto are prepared to lower that as part of a contract extension, the paper said.

But plans appear to be in place for a new challenge with some media reporting the player’s representatives have already been in Madrid to lay the groundwork for a move to the 10-time Champions League winners.

Earlier this month, Porto boss Lopetegui denied stories Danilo would be on the move any time soon.

“The reports that Danilo is leaving for Real Madrid are completely false.  I don’t concern myself much with these types of reports, 99% of them are false and Porto knows how to handle these types of headlines.  I’m completely indifferent about the Danilo rumours,” he told journalists when asked about the player’s future.

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Carlo Ancelotti has become the manager with the most victories in his first 100 matches in Spanish football.

The Italian earned his 78th win for Real Madrid in Los Blancos 0-2 victory against Elche, thus beating Jose Mourinho’s previous record of 77 wins.

Ancelotti has only lost 12 games and drawn 10 since he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2013.

Mourinho was the previous record holder with 77 wins, while Pep Guardiola was third with 71. Miguel Munoz is the third Real Madrid manager with most victories in his first 100 games, with 70. Jose Villalonga reached 64 and Leo Beenhakker got 63.

The Italian hasn’t stopped breaking records since he signed for Los Merengues. He became the manager with most consecutive wins in all competitions leading Real to a 22 matches streak.

He has lifted four titles in less than two years: One Copa del Rey, one Champions League, one European Supercup and one Club World Cup.

Real Madrid made it three consecutive wins beating Elche on Sunday night and moved four points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga after the Catalans slipped up at home against Malaga on Saturday evening. The two fierce rivals go head-to-head in La Liga on March 22nd in what will be billed as the title decider.

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Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas has said he joined the club last summer to win trophies and enjoy a long and successful career at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Costa Rican keeper arrived in the Spanish capital from Levante having impressed the Los Blancos hierarchy with a string out eye-catching displays that saw Madrid part with 10 million euros to land their man. He also enhanced his reputation with a great display at the World Cup, helping the unfancied Costa Ricans to a place in the quarter finals.

His move to Madrid has seen him play less football than he’d have liked and he’s had to make do playing second fiddle to Iker Casillas. Rumours have suggested in recent weeks that the shot stopper is looking for a move away from the club with Liverpool a reported destination.

But speaking to La Nacion, Navas said he’s happy at the club and sees a long-term future with the 10-time European Cup winners.

“I like challenges and this is a great one for my career,” he said. “I’ll work with humility to earn my place in the team. I want to win lots of titles with this club. I chose Real Madrid to be here for a long time and I will succeed, I have faith that I’ll get it.”

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Iker Casillas has hailed the turnaround in Real Madrid’s fortunes and said it is all down to hard work.

The club captain played his part in Real’s 2-0 win over Elche on Sunday evening, with Los Blancos recording a third straight win following their derby defeat and a third consecutive clean sheet.

Just two weeks ago the knives were out as Los Blancos crashed to a 4-0 hammering by their local rivals Atletico de Madrid, and many of the squad were roundly critcised for then attending Ronaldo’s 30th birthday bash just hours afterwards.

Speaking after Sunday’s win, Casillas said fortunes can change quickly in football and Madrid have worked hard to turn their form around.

“Football can change in two weeks. Before we received a barrage of criticism and now things are quiet.  We know we’re at Real Madrid. The reviews are sometimes good, sometimes bad, but we haven’t suffered from the defeat at the Vicente Calderon.

“We are where we want to be. We’ve always had attitude. It’s normal to have ups and downs. It’s very easy during the good times, but you must be more united during the bad times, like we have done,” he declared.

He then went on to discuss the race for La Liga, saying: “For our part I hope we don’t [rely on other teams]. Next up we have to Villarreal, let’s go step by step. The potential advantage of these next few weeks is that although we were unfortunately knocked out of the Copa del Rey, we won’t have midweek matches.”

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Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez praised team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo in an interview with FIFA.com.

“He is a 10 as a person, outside and inside the football field. I’m proud to have him as a team-mate at Real Madrid,” the Colombian told FIFA.

“Ronaldo is a very humble and hard-working person. I’m with him daily and I’m learning a lot from him in all aspects. We connected from the start and we have a good relationship. Seeing him work every day you understand why he’s come so far. He’s an impressive professional,” James added.

Asked about the 2014 Ballon d’Or votes, Rodriguez claimed “of course Ronaldo was the best in 2014.” “He won important titles with Real Madrid, such as the Champions League, and he scored many goals. He is the fair winner of such an important prize. I hope he will keep on winning awards with Madrid. It would be a magnificent sign for us,” he concluded.

James Rodriguez is still recovering from a foot injury he suffered against Sevilla two weeks ago. He will still be sidelined for another two months, but he expects to be back for the crucial part of the season.

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Real Madrid target Paul Pogba is worth at least 100 million euros according to the player’s agent Mino Raiola.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, the Swedish agent has claimed “Pogba costs more than 100 million, but the price will depend on the buyer. Buying Pogba you’re signing the leader of the new generation.”

Raiola revealed Los Blancos tried to sign the Frenchman twice: “Back in the day they didn’t want to pay 10 million for him and last year 30 million. We spoke in Qatar a year ago and they said ‘Why would we pay 30 million if his contract is expiring?’ At the end he signed an extension.”

The agent also said Pogba rejected Los Merengues when he was 17 years old. “Why? Because they didn’t even know him. I didn’t even want to talk to Jose Angel Sanchez. I don’t know if Madrid have anything against me. I work for my players, not for being nice.”

Raiola confirmed “there are seven clubs that can sign Pogba, including Barcelona.” “I’m in contacts with all of them excepting Madrid. My name is not Jorge Mendes, who is the agent that handles Madrid,” he added.

The Juventus man is one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe. He has been long linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, but his price is one of the main obstacles for him to join Los Blancos.

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Real Madrid midfielder Isco has spoken of his pride when he hears the Madridista support singing his name.

The youngster put in another superb display on Sunday evening as Los Blancos saw off Elche 2-0 to move four points clear of Barcelona, who slipped up at home to Malaga on Saturday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, the Spain international promised fans he would continue to work hard for the team but appreciated the support he’d been given.

“I have no problem with the recognition.  I’m calm, I try to help the team on and off the pitch. Now we’re four points ahead of Barcelona.  The fans shouting my name is a source of pride. I always believe in myself, but I’ve taken an important step in my ability to steal balls and that’s why I’m getting more recognition,” he said.

“I have to work hard on recovering balls in order to keep my place on the team.  I try to help by running and working hard.  That makes me a more complete player, but I don’t like talking about myself this much.”

The playmaker, who found himself struggling at times last season, then spoke of his happiness at knowing he’s the player who’s made most appearances for Real in Carlo Ancelotti’s first 100 games – 89.

“More games under Ancelotti? I didn’t know that, but that’s something to be happy about.  I need to keep working hard because there’s a lot left in La Liga and the Champions League,” he commented.

 

 

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