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The season ended for half of Real Madrid players after the celebrations of the Champions League victory on May 24th. However, 12 of them still have a long way to go before holidays, since they will take part in the 2014 World Cup.

Brazil will see a record number of Madridistas in the tournament. In Japan and Korea 2002, Germany 2006 and South Africa 2010, the Madrid club sent ten men to play for their national teams. This time, there will be two more.

The teams that will include the most Merengues are Spain and Portugal. The reigning champions have called upon Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso. The three of them are expected to feature in the starting line-up, although Alonso might spend some time on the bench due to the high competition in the Spanish midfield.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Fabio Coentrao and Pepe will try to bring the Portuguese side to glory in a very competitive group. They will face Germany, Ghana and the United States, but they are determined to finally earn some success in an international tournament. The three are guaranteed starters for Paulo Bento.

Raphael Varane and Karim Benzema will try to regain France’s lost honour, after their disastrous time in South Africa, where they only earned one point. This time they should have a comfortable first round, facing Ecuador, Switzerland and Honduras.

The hosts will look for their sixth World Cup title with Marcelo playing at left-back. In the same group, Luka Modric will guide Croatia, one of the expected surprise packages.

Argentina will surely take advantage of Angel di Maria’s great run of form. After being named the best player of the Champions League final, the Fideo aims to win a title that the Argentinians have been waiting for 28 years.

Sami Khedira is the 12th Real Madrid man in Brazil. Despite being injured from November to May, the German has recovered in time to make it into the squad, although he’s not guaranteed a spot in the starting eleven.

All of them are serious contenders to lift the trophy and will look to follow the steps of Roberto Carlos, Cristian Karembeu Jorge Valdano and Gunter Netzer, who won the World Cup while they were playing for Real Madrid. Casillas, Ramos, Alonso, Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa are also part of that list after their success in South Africa.

This 12-men list of Real players in Brazil could have been longer had Jese Rodriguez been fit to play. Isco and Daniel Carvajal were also serious candidates to make it into Spain’s squad, but Vicente del Bosque finally decided to cut them. Diego Lopez, Jesus Fernandez, Nacho Fernandez, Arbeloa, Asier Illarramendi, Casemiro, Alvaro Morata and Gareth Bale have also stayed home. The Welshman is the only one whose nation has not qualified for the tournament.

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Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney has said his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is driven by personal glory rather than team success.

The pair played together at Old Trafford for many years and struck up a close friendship, which they still maintain today.

But five years after Ronaldo signed for the Santiago Bernabeu side, Rooney says the Portugal captain is more obsesses with his own personal records than what his club wins. Since his arrival in 2009, Ronaldo has played 246 games scoring 253 goals. He picked up the Ballon d’Or trophy in January, the second time he has won it in his career.

In terms of team success, Ronaldo has helped the club land two Copas del Rey, the league title, and the much coveted Champions League trophy after a 12 year wait.

Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, Rooney, who is representing England at the World Cup in Brazil, said: “I’m not a player who needs [to win] individual awards like Cristiano Ronaldo. He has to have that and you admire him for that. “

He went on to add: “I’m more about winning things as a team. You can see how he is. He wants his moments. It’s more important for me to win trophies as a team. I’ve won PFA Player of the Year, which is nowhere near as good as winning a trophy with Manchester United. I’ve not won anything this year, so hopefully I can do that now.”

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Fabio Cannavaro has backed his former teammate Sergio Ramos to win the Ballon d’Or this year for his efforts in helping the club land the Decima Champions League they were craving for so long.

The former Italy international, who is the last defender to win the prestigious award after helping his country win the World Cup in 2006, says Ramos has been influential in his team’s success this season and deserves recognition for his outstanding work.

Los Blancos won the Copa del Rey against Barcelona in April and then went on to defeat Atletico de Madrid in the final of the Champions league last month. Losing 1-0 in the 93rd minute, Ramos popped up to score the crucial equaliser to take the game into extra time, and Madrid went on to win 4-1.

Speaking to Marca, Cannavaro said: “Sergio tipped the Champions League in Real Madrid’s favour. He is the face of ‘La Décima’. His goal won the final. It’s his Champions League. He’ll definitely be in with a chance of winning the Ballon d’Or if he has a good World Cup. If Spain enjoy a good campaign, I’m convinced he’ll be nominated.”

He went on to add that defenders in general should get more recognition than they currently get as they do equally as valuable job as the forwards who score the goals to grab the headines.

“People say that defenders win matches but forwards sell tickets. But there are centre-backs like Ramos who both win games and prompt fans to buy tickets because they want to see them play,” he stated.

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All eyes are on Brazil today as the World Cup gets underway with the hosts taking on Croatia. We are set for a football feast for the next three weeks, and here at realmadridnews.com you can keep up with how the Real Madrid players involved in the tournament are doing.

But today we start with an incredible interview in AS with 90-year-old Los Blancos fan Sergio Nieto Diaz who discusses his memories of supporting the club over many years. His father first got him a season tickets back in 1932, and he’s been watching Real Madrid ever since, witnessing all 10 European Cup wins.

He talks about his first memories watching players such as Luis Regueiro and Divino Zamora before the Spanish Civil War broke out and interrupted the football calendar. In that period he recalls the hunger than people suffered, and the days when the Real Madrid pitch was used as a vegetable garden.

When asked about his more recent memories, he said Ramos’ against Atletico de Madrid was a goal he’d never forget. “The Decima should have been achieved a long time before but for whatever reason the team kept missing out. It’s true I’ve seen all 10, and I’ll never forget the goal Ramos scored,” he said.

Elsewhere, there are reports central defender Nacho is attracting the interest of a number of clubs including Porto, Napoli, Bayer Leverkussen and Schalke.

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has insisted he is happy at the club and is delighted with how his first season in the Spanish capital has gone.

The Italian arrived from PSG last summer and guided the team to success in the Copa del Rey before finally ending the 12-year wait for the club’s 10th European Cup – the Decima.

Some reports had linked Ancelotti with the job at Manchester United before the position was filled by Louis van Gaal, and there is also speculation he could take over as Italy manager in the not-too-distant future.

But speaking at an event at the Italian embassy in Madrid this week, Ancelotti said he is honoured to be working for the world’s biggest club.

He stated:“I have the same passion as my first day and when I no longer have that, it will be time to stop. In my first year in Madrid everything has gone well: the results, the atmosphere, the surroundings… I really like Madrid and the people here. I like everything”.

When asked about his future, he admitted he would love to manage the national team, but for now his is happy. “All Italian coaches can aspire to the national team at some point. Right now I’m very comfortable here. I would like to keep managing a club. I’m very happy with Real Madrid, I like the team and I want to be here for a long time.”

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Reports in England suggest FA Cup winners Arsenal are preparing a 20 million euro bid for Sami Khedira.

The Express claims the Gunners want to sign the midfielder to replace Mikel Arteta in the heart of team as the Spaniard enters the twilight of his career.

With Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti known to be on the lookout for a midfielder himself, Khedira, who is part of Germany’s World Cup squad, could be surplus to requirements at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Ancelotti is keen on Juventus midfielders Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba as well as Marco Verratti at PSG, his former club. Khedira is already competing with the likes of Xabi Alonso, Luka Modric, Asier Illarramendi, and Casemiro for a starting birth at the Champions League and Copa del Rey winners.

The former Stuttgart man made only 13 league appearances this season, but that was largely down to a serious knee injury he picked up on international duty in Novermber. He made is comeback at the end of the campaign and played his part in the team’s Decima success.

The Express also says Jose Mourinho is keen to take his former player to Chelsea should a bidding war take place.

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Daniel Carvajal

Real Madrid are set to improve Daniel Carvajal’s contract, according to Spanish digital newspaper TeInteresa.es. The 22-year-old right-back has completed a brilliant season in the first year since he returned from Bayer Leverkusen, and Florentino Perez is willing to grant him with an important salary raise.

At the moment, Carvajal has the second lowest salary in the squad, with 1.2 million euros per year. Only Alvaro Morata earns less than him.

With this new deal, Carvajal would step up to the second salary level, making around 2 million euros per season.

Real Madrid paid 6.5 million to bring the Spaniard back from Leverkusen last summer, one year after selling him to the German side for 5 million.

Carvajal has played a total 43 games this season, scoring two goals and providing two assists. He has become the untouchable starting right-back, pushing veteran Alvaro Arbeloa to the bench.

Carlo Ancelotti is delighted with the youngster, who has performed superbly in the two finals won by Los Blancos this year: the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.

The player’s agent, Gines Carvajal, has visited the Santiago Bernabeu offices in the last few weeks, and the new contract could be ready before the end of the holidays.

* Get all Real Madrid news by following us on Twitter.

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World Cup fever is building with just one day to go until the tournament starts and two days until Spain take on Holland in their opening match – a repeat of the 2010 final.

But there is plenty of Real Madrid news still in both Marca and AS, and the former actually goes with Sergio Ramos on its front page this morning with the headline ‘Ramos of gold’. According to the paper, the directors at Los Blancos are keen to tie Ramos down to a new deal at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The central defender has completed almost a decade of service at the club since his arrival from Sevilla and this season scored some crucial goals to help Real win the Copa del Rey and Champions League. He scored a double away at Bayern Munich and netted the last minute equaliser against Atletico in the final.

And hie reward for that could be a bumper pay rise to put him just behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale on the pay scale at the club.

Elsewhere, both Marca and AS say the agent of PSG midfielder Marco Verratti will fly to Madrid for talks over a potential transfers. Manager Carlo Ancelotti is keen to add to his midfield options, although has said any transfers will likely happen after the World Cup has finished.

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Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has revealed he was desperate to help the club win the Champions League this season – the historic Decima trophy fans and players had craved for so long.

Speaking in a wide ranging interview on Cadena Cope, he said he would have felt a sense of underachievement if he went through his career at the club without winning the famous trophy.

Alonso played a crucial role in the run to the final but had to sit out the showpiece event in Lisbon through suspension.

He said: “I was dying to win the Champions League. If you play for Real and you haven’t won it, it seems that you haven’t made history.”

The ex-Liverpool star also recognised the role former boss Jose Mourinho played in getting the team ready to make that final step. The Portuguese is considered by many to have failed in his three years at the Bernabeu for not winning the Champions League, but Alonso says he helped get Madrid past the last 16 hurdle that they kept falling at prior to his arrival.

“I have been with Pellegrini, with Mourinho and now I’m right behind Ancelotti. People pigeon-hole you. Mourinho was vital after so many years seeing Real crash out in the group of 16 stages. Getting back on track was important, but obviously nobody could be happy as that was not the objective,” he stated.

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Former Real Madrid forward Ivan Zamorano has admitted he has spoken to Los Blancos president Florentino Perez about compatriot Arturo Vidal.

Vidal has long been linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu as manager Carlo Ancelotti is a huge admirer of the central midfielder. He was linked with a switch to the Spanish capital last summer but a move didn’t materialise and he remained with Juventus, where he went on to win the Seria A title.

But Madrid are known to be on the lookout for a central midfielder and could be back in for Vidal this summer. Xabi Alonso isn’t getting any younger, while there are some doubts within the club hierarchy whether Asier Illarramendi is the long-term solution.

Speaking to the press after the Real Madrid Legends drew 2-2 with the Inter Milan Legends at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday evening, Zamorano said he had discussed Vidal with Perez and told him he would be a great signing for the club.

“When I came here six months ago Florentino asked about him and I told him I’d sign him with my eyes closed. He’s an extraordinary player and would be great for Real Madrid”, he said.

“Vidal could play anywhere in the world. He is doing very well in the most demanding league, which is the Italian one, and could fit in here nicely”, assured the ex-player.

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