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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has said it’s his dream to lift the Champions League with the club.

Speaking on a Google Hangout with Madridista fans on Thursday night, the 24-year-old revealed he grew up supporting the La Liga giants, and to lift the most prestigious trophy in club football would be a dream fulfilled.

The 91-million-euro man stated: “I’d like to win the Champions League and also play in the World Cup with Wales. This season we’re in a position to fight for the Champions League. It would be a dream come true to play in the final but at the moment I’m just thinking of the semi-finals. Then I’ll look further forward.”

When talking about why he chose to support Real Madrid, he said current assistant boss Zinedine Zidane was his idol. “I have been a Real Madrid fan since I was ten or eleven years old, when I saw them win the ninth European Cup with Zidane’s wonder-goal. I’m really enjoying my time at Real Madrid and I want to continue to do so. I hope to win a lot of titles with this team. I’m playing for the biggest club in the world, who are fighting for every title and who have the best fans. It’s a pleasure to play for Real Madrid.”

Despite an injury-hit start to life in Spain, Bale has enjoyed a productive season, scoring 14 goals and providing just as many assists for his teammates. But when asked to pick out a highlight, he chose his hattrick against Valladolid.

“The hat-trick in the Santiago Bernabéu against Valladolid was amazing. I’ve scored several goals I like, but the one against Elche at home is my favourite and I’ll always remember it,” he stated.

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French side Monaco want to appoint Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane as their new boss, according to a report in L’Equipe.

The French sports paper said the current Los Blancos assistant manager ia being targeted by Dmitry Rybolovlev, the Russian billionaire who owns the Principality club.

Current boss Claudio Ranieri is under pressure with a number of players understood to be unhappy with his training methods. Big money signings such as Falcao, James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho have failed to live up to expectation, and L’Equipe says Rybolovlev wants Zidane to manage the big egos in the dressing room.

A move to the south of France would mean a first management job for the France legend, who is believed to be prepared to take over the hotseat at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2016 when Carlo Ancelotti’s contract expires.

The former playmaker became an assistant to Ancelotti at the start of this season following the departure of Jose Mourinho. He had held previous roles at Los Blancos including as an ambassador and sporting director, and was influential in persuading Gareth Bale and Raphael Varane to join the club.

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Champions League trophy

Real Madrid have been drawn against holders Bayern Munich in a mouth-watering Champions League semi-final tie.

Los Blancos will take on the German side in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on the 22/23 April before heading to the Allianz Arena a week later. It will be the third trip to Germany this season in the knock-out phases having seen off Schalke and Borussia Dortmind in the previous two rounds.

The sides last met at the semi-final stage in 2012, with the Bundesliga champions going on to qualify for the final before losing on penalties to Chelsea at their own stadium.

In total, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich have met 20 times, including five times at the semi-final stage. The Germans have won on four of those occasions, coming out on top in 1976, 1987, 2001 in addition to the most recent meeting. Los Blancos defeated Bayern in 2001.

The draw will see former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola renew his rivalry with Los Blancos, while the other semi-final will be contested by Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea and Atletico de Madrid.

Speaking immediately after the draw was made, club director Emilio Butragueño said: “This is our fourth consecutive semi & we hope to go through. We know it’ll be difficult but we have faith in our players.”

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Spanish international Santi Cazorla has said in an interview that Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas should join his club side Arsenal.

Casillas is a legend at the Bernabeu, but in the last two seasons has been second choice to current number one Diego Lopez.

The Spaniard is likely to leave Real after 15 years in the first team, and Cazorla has said that he should consider a move to North London.

The Gunners star said to Sport360: “I’ve told Iker I would like him to join Arsenal. His situation is very complicated, but he has to make a decision.

“Lots of clubs want him, including Arsenal. But so far he has just been curious about my experience in England.

“He knows what he has at Madrid, and what he could find at another club. But I think it would be very difficult to leave Real.

Despite not playing much in the final season of Jose Mourinho’s ill-tempered tenure and current manager Carlo Ancelotti’s first season in the Los Blancos hotseat, Sant Iker is still seen by many to be one of the worlds best keepers.

Alongside Arsenal, there is reported interest from Arsenals rivals Manchester City, and French sides PSG and Monaco.

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There is plenty to cover in the Madrid press this morning, with important La Liga games at the weekend, the Champions League semi-final draw, and the Copa del Rey final creeping ever closer.

And Marca focuses on the latter – and in particular the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo will be missing from the side that takes on Barcelona in Valencia on Wednesday evening. The Portuguese international will miss around two weeks of action with a hamstring problem, meaning he’ll sit out the final, and is touch and go for the first leg of the Champions League semi.

The draw for that, of course, takes place today. Marca and AS hail the presence of two Madrid teams in the final four, and they hope they are kept apart at this stage. A draw against Chelsea would be an intriguing one as Los Blancos would lock horns with former manager Jose Mourinho.

Elsewhere, left-back Marcelo re-joined the first team squad for training ahead of this weekend’s match against Almeria. The Brazilian has missed the last 10 days of action due to a hamstring strain. But after a medical check yesterday morning, he was given the go-ahead to train -a boost for Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the Copa del Rey final.

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Ex-Real Madrid left-back Roberto Carlos has said the club has waited too long to win its 10th Champions League crown.

Los Blancos last won Europe’s elite club competition in 2002 – Zinedine Zidane’s wonder volley against Bayer Leverkusen securing the ninth European Cup for the Spanish giants.

This week they qualified for their fourth consecutive semi-final, seeing off Borussia Dortmund 3-2 overall. And now, Roberto Carlos, who was part of that famous team at Hampden Park in Glasgow 12 years ago, said the wait for La Decima has been to long now.

He told Marca: “For any Madridista the 10th European Cup is taking too long. Again we’re in the semi-final so we have to prepare well. This year is difficult, with three competitions and the obligation to win and maintain a high level for a full year.”

When asked if he felt there was a particular favourite to lift the trophy in Lisbon, he picked out Bayern Munich. But he added at this stage of the competition, every opponent is dangerous.

“I have no idea who the favourites are. Bayern Munich are playing great football. The way Atletico Madrid are playing, the history of Madrid, Chelsea with Jose Mourinho. He’s criticised a lot but for me he’s one of the best coaches in the world. A Madrid-Chelsea semi would be great but it could go either way,” he stated.

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Sergio Ramos has said his Real Madrid teammates should be proud of reaching their fourth consecutive Champions League semi-final despite the near disaster at Borussia Dortmund last night.

Los Blancos scraped through 3-2 overall against the Bundesliga side but almost let their 3-0 first leg lead slip in a woeful opening 45 minutes in Germany on Tuesday night. Angel di Maria missed a penalty, and an error strewn performance saw them ship two goals to leave fans biting their nails.

But they held out to qualify and book their place in the last four of the competition.

Afterwards, the long-serving Los Blancos defender said the players should be proud of what they have achieved, but there are still many challenges ahead.

“Obviously it was not a good first half for us,” the defender told reporters. “We’re delighted to have made the semi-finals, but we have to reflect on this performance. The first half wasn’t so good but we were better in the second. We’re not worried about who we play now. To win the Champions League you have to beat the best.”

Ramos also praised the impact of coach Carlo Ancelotti, saying he was a calming influence at half time when it appeared all around him were losing their heads.

“The coach is there for that, to tell us what he needs to and if we go back out (for the second half) maybe we won’t be going through to the semi-finals,” he said.

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Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to miss next week’s Copa del Rey final through injury, it has been reported.

Madrid-based daily AS reported the 29-year-old star injured his hamstring in the first-leg win over Borussia Dortmund at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Ballon d’Or winner scored in that 3-0 win, but subsequently missed the La Liga win over Real Sociedad and the return leg agains the German outfit this week.

There had been concerns over the Portuguese striker’s fitness in recent weeks, with the former Manchester United man suffering with tendinitis in his left knee.

But AS says Ronaldo, who has 45 goals for his club so far this season, will be out of action for two weeks. If that is the case, he will sit out the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona, as well as the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.

AS added the club has yet to make an official statement about the star man’s fitness, although an update should be provided before this weekend’s match against Almeria.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men are fighting on three fronts at the moment, and if Ronaldo misses two weeks of action it will come as a huge blow for the La Liga, Copa and Champions League hopes.

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Real Madrid playmaker Luka Modric has said Los Blancos were too complacent going into the game with Borussia Dortmund and need to learn their lessons quickly.

The nine-time European Cup winners made it through to Friday’s semi-final draw by the skin of their teeth after almost blowing their first leg 3-0 lead on Tuesday night. A missed Angel di Maria penalty combined with two first half goals for the hosts meant a tense affair for Madridistas watching in the stands and on TV.

And Croatia international Modric told Marca that complacency was a problem they have to get rid of if they are to be successful this season in their quest for trophies.

He stated: “I don’t know what happened. It may be that we were complacent because we won 3-0 and we started thinking it would be easy. I don’t know. We need to learn from this match. We always say we need to learn but we never do.”

Los Blancos will be joined in the draw in the final four alongside city rivals Atletico de Madrid who defeated Barcelona. They could also be drawn against Chlesea, now managed by former Real boss Jose Mourinho. Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich is the other team in the hat.

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The Champions League is still very much the talking point in the Madrid press this morning following Atletico de Madrid’s win over Barcelona.

It means Madrid has two teams in the last four of the competition, something both Marca and AS celebrate today. As well as covering the reaction from the Vicente Calderon, there is also more fallout from Real’s game against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening.

The 2-0 defeat at the Westfalenstadion was nervous viewing for anyone associated with the club. And the loss was also the first in 27 matches for Madrid with Iker Casillas in goal. In the previous 26 games he had started, Los Blancos won 21 and drew five. He only conceded 13 goals along the way – at a rate of one goal every 170 minutes.

And Casillas may have had a sense of deja vu on Tuesday, because the last defeat he experienced when staring in goal for Madrid was against the same side at the same ground – the 2-1 loss to Dortmund in the group stage of the Champions League in October 2012.

Marca and AS also give a fitness update on Ronaldo, and say he will not be risked for the La Liga match at the weekend against Almeria. Instead, he will be given extra time off to recover and ensure he is ready for the Copa del Rey final next week.

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