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Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has said Real Madrid forward ‘takes his breath away’ with his scintillating style of play.

Bale played a crucial part in Los Blancos’ success in the Champions League and Copa del Rey last season. His incredible solo goal against Barcelona in Valencia will live long in the memory of Real Madrid fans, while he will also go down in history being one of just a handful of players to score in both finals in the same season – he netted Real’s crucial second goal as they saw off local rivals Atletico de Madri 4-1 in Lisbon in May.

Writing in his weekly column for the Independent, Scholes, considered by many to be one of the best midfielders from his generation, said Bale can take over Ronaldo’s mantle as the star at the club, and said the way he plays in breathtaking.

He wrote: “I have to admire the way that Gareth Bale has taken to life at Real Madrid. I watched him in the 5-0 win over Athletic Bilbao and they were breathtaking.”

And he continued: “I am sure that he will eventually inherit Ronaldo’s mantle as the club’s leading goalscorer. In the meantime, it was good to see how much it meant to Bale to play for Wales this week.”

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Iker Casillas

Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has said he believes the team is in an upward turn of form ahead of a crucial run of games in La Liga and the Champions League.

Los Blancos take on Levante this weekend before facing Barcelona in the first Clasico match of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu next weekend. In the Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti’s side take on European giants Liverpool in two mouth watering clashes in the group stage.

And after a slow start to the campaign, the 10-time Champions League winners have hit a good run of form – something the club captain believes the players can keep going.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Casillas said: “What’s positive is that we’re on an upward trajectory and our aim is to hit peak form and cut the points gap on our La Liga rivals.

“When all our internationals return, we’ll all be together and we’ll take on the difficult matches that we have ahead of us now. Levante are a team in need of a result. In the two games against Liverpool, we can settle qualification for the next round. And El Clásico is going to be a really great match, and people are already waiting for it to come around.”

Casillas, subject of criticism from fans in recent months, added that he feels loved by Madridista and would keep working hard to ensure more success for the club.

“I feel loved. Nobody likes to be whistled, but I don’t have any problems. The fans call the shots and what I have to do is train hard, play well and ensure everyone is celebrating together at Cibeles at the end of the season. I won’t go against my own fans, who are there in the hardest moments as well as the good ones.”

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Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has resumed first team training after recovering from injury.

The 27-year-old World Cup winner had been sidelined since early September with a thigh strain that turned into a point of contention between Los Blancos and the German Football Association.

When Khedira reported for international duty for the round of matches last month, the German FA said he had been injured while playing for Madrid. The 10-time European Cup winners claimed he picked up the injury on duty for his country.

Having picked up the thigh problem, Khedira opted to have surgery on his left knee, ruling out of action for the last six weeks. The midfielder missed most of last season with a serious knee injury picked up while playing for Germany but recovered to take his place in the Champions League final where he picked up a winners medal.

Khedira has been subject of intense transfer speculation over the past few months and is now into his last eight months on his current deal. Premier League sides Arsenal and Chelsea are believed to be keen on signing the defensive midfielder.

The former Stuttgart player signed for Los Blancos in 2010 following the World Cup in South Africa.

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Spanish newspaper Marca has claimed Brazilian midfielder Lucas Silva has been elected by Real Madrid directors as an ideal replacement for Sami Khedira, since the German international is expected to leave the club next summer.

Khedira is not willing to renew his contract with Los Blancos, which expires in June 2015. Thus, Madrid are seeking for a holding midfielder to join the club during the summer transfer market.

Marca has stated Cruzeiro’s youngster is Real’s first option. The 21-year-old has impressed in his third season at the Brazilian club, helping his team reach the top of the table in the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Silva was also a key player for Cruzeiro to reach the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores -the South American Champions League.

In his three years at Cruzeiro, he has made 61 league appearances, scoring three goals. He has also made five appearances for Brazil Under-21 squad, scoring one goal.

Real Madrid only have two holding midfielders in the squad at the moment: Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira. Casemiro, who is expected to return from a loan at Porto, could also play that role, but Carlo Ancelotti would welcome having a deeper bench. Lucas Silva could be the man Ancelotti needs.

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Real Madrid are eying a move for Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, according to reports in the UK.

The Daily Telegraph says the 10-time European Cup winners want to sign an experience keeper to replace the out of form Iker Casillas.

The club captain has drawn much criticism from pundits and some Madridista fans for what they consider below par performances, and some feel he is past his best and should be allowed to move on. The 33-year-old’s reputation took a battering in the summer having been part of Spain’s team as the 2010 World Cup winners made a disastrous attempt to defend the trophy they won in South Africa.

He was dropped from the national side for the game against Luxembourg having started in the surprise defeat to Slovakia last week.

Cech, 32, has found himself out of the side this season having lost his place to Thibaut Courtois, the former Atletico de Madrid goalkeeper. The Czech shot stopper had been the number one at Stamford Bridge for a decade and wants to keep playing first team football while he is in his prime.

PSG are also monitoring the situation, while Madrid also have their eye on Manchester United’s David de Gea should they decide not to make a move for Cech.

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Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has been nominated for the Best Defender of 2013/14 award by the LFP.

Atletico de Madrid’s Miranda and former Rojiblanco Felipe Luis – who left the Calderon for Chelsea in the summer – join him on the three-man shortlist.

Ramos, the current holder of the award, played a key role in Real’s success in the Copa del Rey ad Champions League last season. In the absence of club captain Iker Casillas, who spent large periods of time on the bench, Ramos became the leader in the team and did so by example.

He netted two goals in the Champions League semi-final as Carlo Ancelotti’s men saw of holders Bayern Munich. And it was his last gasp header that saved Real from defeat against the city rivals in Lisbon, before Los Blancos killed off the game in extra time.

Of the other candidates, Luis played a key role in Diego Simeone’s side as they lifted the La Liga trophy. He was a near ever-present, featured 40 times in all competitions. Miranda partnered him in defence as Los Rojiblancos conceded just 26 goals in 38 league games. Miranda also helped his team t success in the Spanish Supercopa at the start of this season.

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Former Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has said the desire shown by Pep Guardiola to sign him for Bayern Munich convinced him to move to he German champions.

The veteran midfielder left the Santiago Bernabeu shortly before the end of the transfer window for 10 million euros in somewhat of a shock move, bringing an end to his five-year stay in the Spanish capital.

Many pundits at the time suggested the arrival of Toni Kroos – from Bayern Munich – had prompted Alonso to question whether he would still be a first teamer at the club and was behind his decision to leave having played an integral part in Los Blancos’ Champions League success in May.

But speaking to Goal.com, Alonso revealed it was Guardiola’s infectious personality and his desire to get his man that made up his mind.

“There are lots of opinions on my reason for moving in Spain,” he said. “But the fact is that I wanted a restart. For me, it was the right decision for my career. It had nothing to do with transfers or with Toni Kroos. Carlo Ancelotti trusted me and he knew that I would play an important role. There were no problems in Madrid.”

And he continued: “It was no easy decision but I thought that the right moment had come. Real Madrid are a big club. Now I had the chance to get to know another big club, in a new country, to experience new things. For me, it was the last chance to join Bayern. When I had made up my mind, I talked to the club officials at Real. They respected my decision and wanted to support me.”

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Real Madrid could be interest in signing Paris Saint-Germain’s left-back Lucas Dignet, Spanish website Fichajes.net has reported.

There have been plenty of rumours of possible transfers affecting the left-back position since Fabio Coentrao fell mysteriously injured one month ago. But now Marcelo has also been involved.

Coentrao has been sidelined since the beginning of September, although the club has not revealed what injury he is suffering. Many Spanish journalists believe he has simply been put aside by Carlo Ancelotti, and claim the club is looking for a substitute.

However, Fichajes.net has stated Los Blancos are also considering selling Marcelo to bring a younger and more complete full-back. That would be Lucas Digne.

The 21-year-old has become the starting left-back at France national team and many big European clubs are keeping tabs on him.

Digne moved to PSG from Lille in 2013, after a brilliant season in which he played a total 44 games for the Ligue 1 side, scoring three goals.

He signed a five-year contract with the French champions, worth three million euros per year.

Digne hasn’t been able to earn a spot in the starting eleven, since Laurent Blanc still prefers Maxwell. Yet, the French manager is not willing to let him go, knowing he will soon become one of the best left-backs in Europe.

Thus, it will be difficult for Los Blancos to convince PSG to start negotiations. Unless Real intend to include Marcelo or Coentrao in the deal, there is little chance Digne could end up at the Santiago Bernabeu next summer.

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Wales and Real Madrid star Gareth Bale has set his sights on helping his country qualify for Euro 2016.

The forward, who played a crucial role in Los Blancos’ success in the Copa del Rey and Champions League last season, now wants to help Wales qualify for their first major international tournament since 1958.

Wales, managed by former Real Sociedad boss Chris Coleman, secured a draw with Bosnia at the weekend before narrowly defeating Cyprus on Monday evening. And having picked up four points from six available, Bale says the mood in the camp is confident.

Speaking to reporters from Sky, the 25-year-old said:”It was a great start from us again. We came out of the blocks firing, like we wanted to. We got a good start to the game, obviously a little mistake off a set-piece, but I think you can see how much the lads want it. It’s a different feeling in the camp now, everyone’s really fighting for each other, the team spirit’s amazing and the fans again were literally unbelievable.”

Bale scored the winning goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, and the crucial second goal against Atletico de Madrid as Los Blancos finally ended their 12-year wait for La Decima.

 

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Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta says the Real Madrid crowd should recognise Leo Messi should the striker break the La Liga goalscoring record in the Clasico later this month.

The Catalan side visit the Santiago Bernabeu on October 25, and at just two goals short of Telmo Zarra’s record of 251 league goals, there is a very real possibility the 27-year-old surpasses that figure at the home of the 10-time European Cup winners.

The LFP have suggested Messi could be honoured at the game should he break the record. And Zubizarreta said he would expect the home crowd to recognise that achievement despite playing for their bitter rivals. Applauding Barcelona players, although rare, has been done before, with Ronaldinho getting a standing ovation in 2005 after his devastating hat trick in a 3-0 win in the Spanish capital.

Speaking to AS, Zubizarreta said: “It’s something more to do with sports like American football and basketball, it sounds odd in football. But he deserves recognition. I’ll settle for a goal against Eibar and Madrid and that we win.

“We’ve seen the Bernabeu applaud Barca players in the past, and vice-versa. “Players evolve and Leo isn’t just a goalscorer. He understands the game, he is involved in more phases of play. Goals will always be there but that won’t be all.” the former Spanish goalkeeper added.

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