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Former Real Madrid defender Raul Albiol has said he feels the Spanish national side is short on centre backs but the side has enough quality at the moment.

The Napoli man filled in for Real’s Sergio Ramos during the international break as the Los Blancos vice captain recovers from injury. Span lost to Slovakia in a shock Euro 2016 qualifying result on Thursday before seeing off Luxembourg 4-0 on Sunday night.

Speaking to the press about the defensive situation for Vicente del Bosque’s team, Albiol said it is something that needs addressing in the future, but for now Spain still has the quality needed to succeed.

“The issue surrounding central defence goes in stages, yet although we don’t have an abundance of centre-backs we have enough good ones to perform well for the national team.

“Right now in Spain we are living through an era of many midfielders and not so many central defenders, but it’s not a subject we need to worry about,”he stated.

He went on to talk about the importance of Ramos to La Roja, saying: “Ramos is a very important player for us, but if there is something this team has shown it is that it has great players who can come in and play well to get a win anywhere.”

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Jose Mourinho signing for Chelsea

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has admitted he likes Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane, but is doubtful Los Blancos would part with the defender any time soon.

The Portuguese boss, who has gone more than two years since lifting a trophy despite considering himself a special manager, signed Varane for Real when his was in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu.

And after watching the friendly between France and Portugal at the weekend, he told Telefoot that he still likes the 21-year-old.

“I like Varane, but everybody knows that he will stay at Real Madrid,” Mourinho said.
“France has a lot of good players like Varane, Pogba, Benzema and Lloris. They can win Euro 2016. I have a lot of respect for Deschamps. In the World Cup, we saw a great French team,” he added.

Varane has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge in the past and was believed to be considering his options in the summer having failed to hold down a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s first team line up in the Italian’s first season in charge n the Spanish capital.

But he decided to stay at the club and put pen-to-paper on a new six year deal at the club, lasting until 2020, meaning should Chelsea want to sign him, they would have to come up win an astronomical offer.

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Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has hailed the team spirit in the camp and said it is one of the best atmospheres he has experienced.

The 24-year-old World Cup winner arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Bayern Munich in a 25 million euro deal. And he has immediately slotted into place in the team, looking comfortable at the heart of the midfield for Los Blancos.

Speaking to German paper Die Welt, Kross said despite the dressing room being full of global superstars, everyone is close knit and works hard for each other.

“I’m used to the feeling of playing in a team with high individual quality. Only the names are different at Real. Everyone accepts his teammates here. The team spirit is huge,” Kroos said.

He singled out Ronaldo for praise, describing him as the best player in the world, but also saying he is very down to earth.

“I think that there is no player in the world right now who is better than Cristiano. And especially when I started here, he was the one to approach me. He is a really pleasant lad,” he added.

Kroos played a key role in the summer as Germany lifted the World Cup in Brazil, beating Argentina in the final.

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Emilio Butragueno, Real Madrid’s director of institutional relations, has said Los Blancos will have a hectic schedule before the winter break as they take part in the World Club Championship.

As Champions League winners, Los Blancos enter the competition at the semi-final stage in mid-December. They will take on the winner between Cruz Azul and the AFC Champions League winners.

The first tie will take place on December 16, in between La Liga matches against Sevilla and Almeria. Carlo Ancleotti’s side will also have to take part in the final or a third-fourth place play off.

And Butraguena said the schedule will be tough on the players. But he added the World Club Championship was a tournament everyone is motivated for and wants to win.

“I think this is a fantastic competition. After many years we were able to win the Champions League. We are here to do our best and to make our fans happy,” he said.

“If we come here without injuries and if we come here with our best players playing at a very good level, then I’m sure we’ll have a good chance to win the competition. It’s going to be a very tight schedule that month so for that reason we have to prepare very well for every game. We are going to play the last game in our Champions League group one week before coming here.”

And he added: “And the last weekend before coming here we are going to play against Almeria. So yes, we’re going to have a difficult period and we have to prepare properly.”

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Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini wants to raid his former club for Real Madrid defender Pepe, according to reports.

A number of papers in the UK claim the Chilean, who guided the Citizens to the Premier League title in his first season in charge in England, wants to sign the Portugal defender as a replacement for Martin Demichelis next summer.

The Etihad Stadium side have reportedly twice made an approach for the 31-year-old and on both occasions have been turned down by Los Blancos. With his contract set to expire in 2016, the club is believed to be willing to listen to offers in the summer.

A fee of around 10 million euros would be enough to persuade Florentino Perez and the rest of the Real board to agree to a deal with the Premier League champions, reports say,

The former Porto man joined the 10-time European Cup winners in the summer of 2007 and has played a key role in the side’s success in recent years. He has formed a formidable partnership alongside Sergio Ramos in the heart of the defence and helped the side lift a host of trophies including the Champions League, La Liga, the Copa dey Rey, European Super Cup and Spanish Supercopa.

 

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Raphael Varane has expressed his delight with how well the French team dealt with his Real Madrid team mate Cristiano Ronaldo in the friendly against Portugal.

Les Bleus won 2-1 in Paris with goals coming from Real forward Karim Benzema and one-time Los Blancos target Paul Pogba, Portugal grabbed a goal back with 15 minutes to go but the French held on to record the win.

And speaking after the game, Varane told journalists he was proud of how his fellow defenders kept Ronaldo quiet. The 21-year-old has seen the striker at his devastating best this season, with the Ballon d’Or holder having scored 17 goals in 11 club games so far.

“We controlled Cristiano Ronaldo well,” the France centre-half told journalists. “We all know his fantastic ability and the fact he didn’t score is good for us.”

Ronaldo’s hat trick for Real against Athletic Bilbao last weekend drew him level with Alfredo di Stefano for the record number of hat tricks for the club – 26. He has scored 50 goals or more for Los Blancos in each of the last four seasons, and will easily surpass that number should he keep up his scoring rate.

Speaking about the game in general, Varane added he was pleased with things overall. He stated: “It may have been a friendly but you saw the intensity in this match and it was a real international fixture – it’s always difficult to play against Portugal. We have carried on from our World Cup performances and we’re playing good football.”

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Wales manager Chris Coleman has said Gareth Bale has matured in a leader and can handle pressure situations much better now after experiencing the scrutiny of playing for Real Madrid for the past 18 months.

Known for being a shy person and keen to stay away from the limelight, Coleman revealed in an interview that Bale has a stronger character now and his presence is felt in the Wales dressing room.

He told BT Sport: “He has grown, he said to the other players in the dressing room afterwards this is what we need to do as a team. That’s what it’s all about. He said before the game we have to stand up to a mob like that. He’s vocal, he has matured and is a leader for us now.”

Wales drew with Bosnia in the first Euro 2016 qualifier of this international break and take on Cyprus on Monday night. And Coleman said he is sure Bale will score having drawn a blank in the first game.

“Gareth has had better nights for us than he did against Bosnia. But he has an incredible appetite for football, is an unbelievable athlete and Cyprus will know all about him. He still created that one chance against Bosnia and if not for a world-class save he scores the winner.

“He can win a game even if he is having the worst night of his life and that is why the opposition have to worry about him.”

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Real Madrid left-back Marcelo has revealed he would like to play for Seria side Juventus before he retires.

The Brazilian, who scored Real’s fourth and final goal in their Champions League win over Atletico de Madrid last season, has been in the Spanish capital for seven and a half years now and has made more than 200 league appearances for the side.

But the former Fluminese man told Italian sports website Tuttosport that he admires the way Juventus play and would one day like to play in Turin for the Old Lady.

He stated: “Certainly not now but in the future I would like to wear the shirt of Juventus.”

The 26-year-old, who was part of the Brazil squad that suffered a disastrous World Cup tournament in their own country this summer, has won a host of trophies in his time as a Los Blancos player.

His haul includes the Champions League, La Liga, the Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Copa and European Supercup.

The defender found himself second choice behind Fabio Coentrao in Jose Mourinho’s last season in charge at the Santiago Bernabeu, but forced his way back into the first team in Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in charge. He has made six starts for the team this campaign.

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Real Madrid and Barcelona are competing to bring Norwegian wonderkid Martin Odegaard to Spain. The 15-year-old attacking midfielder is one of the most promising young talents in football, and many European clubs are interested in signing him, including the two Spanish giants.

Odegaard has impressed for Norwegian side Stromsgodset, and has already made his debut with Norway national team, in a friendly game against the United Arab Emirates in August.

He has also been picked for the Norway team that will face Bulgaria in the European Qualifyers, and he could make history if he plays that game, becoming the youngest player to play in European Championship qualifying.

With such an impressive record, it is no wonder that so many teams are trying to seduce him, especially since his contract with Stromsgodset will expire in December 2015.

The player’s father has claimed up to 30 teams have already contacted him about a possible transfer. Barcelona and Real Madrid are reportedly two of the clubs that have shown a strongest interest.

Odegaard recently rubbished rumours of him having accepted an invitation from Barcelona to visit La Masia. “It’s flattering, but there’s nothing with Barcelona,” he told Norwegian newspaper VG.

Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund are also keeping tabs on Europe’s new rising star.

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Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent has dashed any hope Manchester United had of re-signing their former star by saying the forward wants to retire at Real Madrid.

The 29-year-old has been linked with a move back to the Red Devils and has made no secret of his love for the United fans. In return, boss Louis Van Gaal has admitted he would love to bring the striker back to Old Trafford at some point.

But speaking to the press, Mendes said the Portuguese, who has scored 17 times in 11 games for his club this season, is happy in the Spanish capital and wants to retire there.

“Cristiano is very happy at Real Madrid and always has been. He’s going to break many records in the white shirt and retire here. He has great affection towards Manchester United because his heart was there for six years, but he is totally committed to Real Madrid and their fans now. He’s very happy and he feels loved and appreciated.”

Mendes, one of the most influential figures in the world of football agents, went on to say: “I don’t receive calls anymore from other teams asking about Cristiano, because they know that it’s impossible to tempt him away from Real Madrid. It’s not worth calling to enquire about it. People are aware of his release clause – 1 billion euros.”

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