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Young Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez has said the step up from playing for Real Madrid Castilla to the first team has been a giant one.

The 21-year-old has enjoyed a fine season within Carlo Ancelotti’s first team squad at the Santiago Bernabeu, chipping in with eight goals in 30 appearances so far. Sadly for the youngster, his campaign was brought to an early end on Tuesday, when he snapped his anterior cruciate ligament in the Champions League match against Schalke. He will miss around six months of action.

In an interview with Uefa.com before the game took place, Jese, who has a contract with the club until 2017, said he initially struggled after being promoted as he was suddenly surrounded by global superstars.

“It’s been a gigantic step, because you come from the third level up into the first.  So the steps you take get bigger and bigger, and then you start playing with world-class players, different kinds of players. There are really a lot of fantastic players at Real Madrid and you have to compete with them,” he said.

He added that all the senior players have been supportive, and picked out Cristiano Ronaldo for particular praise, saying the 29-year-old is the best in the world to learn from.

“You learn a lot from Cristiano every day. It’s clear to me especially and to all my team-mates that he is the best. He deserves all the awards there are, he’s a great professional.  The thing that has most impressed me is the ambition he shows every day.”

*Follow Paul Collins on Twitter @pabmundo

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Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has said he is confident the side can get the better of Barcelona at the weekend and push further ahead of their Catalan rivals as the race for La Liga intensifies.

The Welshman endured a difficult game the last time the two sides met in the league. The reigning champions won 2-1 at the Nou Camp, and a clearly unfit Bale looked lost as he played at the top of the front three.

Los Blancos haven’t lost a match in any competition since that day back in October. The hold a four point lead over Los Cules in the league, and sent out an ominous warning to their Champions League rivals by seeing off Schalke 9-2 over two legs.

Speaking after the 3-1 win over the German outfit on Tuesday night, Bale quickly switched his attention to the Clasico at the weekend, and said the squad was feeling confident.

“We’re playing well, with a lot of confidence and we’re on a good run. Now we have to prepare really well for the next match against Barcelona. Barcelona are a direct rival and we are going to try and put in a good performance and take the three points.

“They have some very good players, but we are focused on our game and on our team because we also have very good players.”

The 24-year-old, who has 14 goals and 14 assists to his name in his debut season in Spanish football, went on once again to praise fellow forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who grabbed another brace to draw level with Ferenc Puskas in the goal scoring charts at Real Madrid.

“Cristiano’s the best in the world, he is spectacular and an example to everyone,” Bale said.

*Follow Paul Collins on Twitter @pabmundo

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said he is excited about the challenges that lie in wait as Los Blancos search for success on three fronts.

The Italian watched he side beat Schalke 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu last night to run out 9-2 winners overall in the two-legged affair and progress easily to the last eight of the Champions League. The side also tops the La Liga table and host Barcelona on Sunday night in the league while they face the same opponents in the Copa del Rey final next month.

Speaking after the match, Ancelotti said his team was on the right path, and he was excited about what lies in store. “I think that, in general, we are very excited about this team. We have improved a lot. The atmosphere is good and healthy. We are very excited and motivated. We are in all the competitions.,” he stated.

He briefly discussed the situation in the Champions League before switching his attention to the Clasico on Sunday. “Europe’s best teams have qualified so it will be very complicated for everyone. It is good for Spanish football to have three teams still in the competition,” he said before adding “We have to play our best football because to beat Barcelona you have to play at 100%. Yes, of course I have decided on the eleven. I don’t think it is difficult. I am not going to complicate things. I’ll make it easy for everyone.”

However, it was not all positive on the night for Los Blancos, as they lost Jese Rodriguez to injury for the next six months after the youngster snapped his anterior cruciate ligament.

Ancelotti admitted the players were down in the dressing room at hearing the seriousness of the injury, but would rally round and support their teammate.

He commented: “We hope to have him ready soon and we would like to send him our support. We are waiting for him and we wish him luck. He will certainly be an important player for Real Madrid after his injury. We are sad. We are very sorry about this, but these things happen in football. It could be an important time for him, to enjoy this time of difficulty and build his character.”

*Follow Paul Collins on Twitter @pabmundo

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Real Madrid cruised into the quarter finals of the Champions League last night, with the 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu over Schalke confirming their place in the last eight with a 9-2 aggregate score.

But the major talking point in the papers this morning is not the jubilation at making it through, rather the injury to Jese Rodriguez.

The young forward, who has enjoyed an outstanding campaign, scoring eight goals in his debut season in the first team squad, went down under a challenge in the 2nd minute of the match. He was forced off, replaced by Gareth Bale, and the club later confirmed he had torn his anterior cruciate ligament.

The injury, similar to the one suffered by Sami Khedira back in November, means Jese’s season has come to an end, and any hope he had of representing Spain at the World Cup is over. He is expected to miss around six months of action.

In more positive news, Marca and AS both mention the fact Ronaldo’s two goals last night mean he not only warmed up for the Clasico in the best possible way, but also drew level with Ferenc Puskas on the list of top goalscorers in the history of Real Madrid. His 13 goals in the Champions League this season so far also means he is just one goal short of equaling the record for the most number of goals scored in one campaign.

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Real Madrid eased past Schalke 04 in the second leg of the Last-16 round of the Champions League to make it an overall 9-2 score in the tie.

Los Blancos showed their great state of shape despite most of the regular starters sit on the bench. They could have trashed the Germans the same way they did in the first leg, but Alvaro Morata had a bad night and Cristiano Ronaldo hit the post twice after scoring Los Merengues’ first two goals.

The Portuguese made it 1-0 early in the first half, as Morata slid the ball down the channel for Gareth Bale. The Welshman lashed a cross along the small box, and Ronaldo was on hand to tap home from close range.

Schalke reacted fast. Tim Hoogland burst forward from right-back and tried his luck with an attempt from 30 metres. His shot took a huge deflection off Sergio Ramos and ended up nestling in the bottom corner.

Madrid were in total control of the game and they had many chances to make their second. Yet, the German’s goalkeeper denied most of the hosts’ efforts.

With 15 minutes to go, Ronaldo made it 2-1 he drove into the Schalke box before firing into the bottom corner for his 41st goal of the season.

The Portuguese still had time to hit the post twice before the end of the game. The second time he hit the woodwork, Bale collected the ball and reversed it back inside to Morata, who netted his goal after having missed a number of clear chances.

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Jese videoclip Big Flow

Jese Rodriguez has surprised many by announcing he has formed a music band alongside DJ Nuno called Big Flow. Real Madrid’s forward shared on Twitter the teaser of their first video clip last week and they have now launched their single La Mano Arriba on iTunes.

Although it’s difficult to tell which part of the song he’s actually singing, Jese appears to have got got quite some talent, from what we can see in the video. The full music clip will be released in the next few weeks. You can listen to a fragment of his single here:


As you can hear, Big Flow is a reggaeton band. Artists Henry Mendez and Daviel have featured in La Mano Arriba.

Their first clip was recorded in the Canary Islands, Jese’s home region. The 21-year-old appears on it dressed in a black suit, surrounded by a few women, dancing and singing. Check it out:

The friendship between Jese and DJ Nuno started a few years ago thanks to other Real Madrid’s youngster, Derik Osede. They’ve become close friends since then, and they meet every day in a basement in Alcorcon to work on their music.

DJ Nuno often goes to see Jese play at the Santiago Bernabeu and has also become friends with Marcelo, who is also a fan of that music style.

Whether the band will succeed or fail it’s impossible to tell, but we do know what will be the next changing-room hit at the Santiago Bernabeu.

* Follow Laura Martinez on Twitter at @lauram_Ti

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Real Madrid’s game with Schalke this evening is basically a dead rubber what with Los Blancos holding a 6-1 lead before a ball has even been kicked.

There would be very little point in putting money on which of the two teams will progress to the next round. Even a 5-0 win for the visitors tonight would see them bow out of the competition, so for the Bundesliga outfit, the game is more about restoring pride.

The visitors, who include one-time Real Madrid target Julian Draxler in their ranks, can be backed at 14/1 to win at the Santiago Bernabeu. In his press conference yesterday, Real manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted he will rotate his side with the Clasico in mind. Even though the team will have many changes, they are still overwhelming favourites to win at 2/9, while draw is valued at 6/1.

Those looking to put some money on the game may be more interested in the goalscorer market. Jese Rodriguez is having an outstanding season to date since being promoted to the first team. He has eight goals in 30 appearances so far and is priced at 5/6 to get himself on the scoresheet tonight. His target for the season will be to emulate what Raul did in his debut campaign – score 10 goals in total.

Alvaro Morata has found game time hard to come by, largely due to the form of Jese. But he will start tonight  alongside his Spain Under-21 partner, and is priced at 21/20 to find the back of the net.

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Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has said his team will take Schalke seriously in the Champions League match at the Santiago Bernabeu and wants his players to prepare well for this weekend’s Clasico against Barcelona.

Los Blancos beat the German outfit 6-1 in the first leg of their last-16 tie, virtually guaranteeing their progress to the quarter-final without a ball even being kicked in the return leg.

But speaking at his press conference ahead of the match, Ancelotti said he wants his players to respect the opposition. He added that with Real on a 30-game unbeaten run in all competitions, he wants to take that momentum in the La Liga clash at the weekend against the reigning champions.

“The team is fine and playing well against Schalke is the best way to prepare for the Clásico. We are excited and keen to play well because it is a Champions League match and we must maintain the team’s good form,” he said.

Ancelotti, who has won the Champions League twice as a manager, revealed he will make some changes to the side to give player a break after a heavy schedule. He confirmed the likes of Jese Rodriguez, Alvaro Morata and Isco will all play.

“Jesé will start, as will Morata and Cristiano Ronaldo. Jesé is lucky to be with me here today because my first appearance before the press in the European Cup was at 30 years of age,” he stated.

And he added: “If I don’t change my mind, Isco will play. He has to get used to that position, above all the defensive side of it, and we are training in that position. Both he and I are confident he can do well there.”

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Gareth Bale has said he prefers playing on the right wing more than on the other side of the attacking trio at Real Madrid.

Since his arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, the 24-year-old Welshman has been deployed on both sides. But speaking in an interview with Madrid-daily AS, he said he is more effective on the right, where he is able to cut inside onto his left foot and let fly from long distance.

He said to the paper: “Last season with Tottenham I didn’t play as much on the left, I was playing more down the middle or on the right – like with Wales. I feel comfortable playing on the right wing, I’m happy there.”

The 91-million-euro man, formerly of Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, claimed his is delighted with his form this season but knows there is still room for improvement. Bale has scored 14 goals in 30 games in his debut season, and assisted 12 more for his teammates.

“I wouldn’t know what to give myself, but I’m happy with how it’s going. I’ve improved a lot and I feel good and I’ve still got margin for improvement,” he stated.

*Follow Paul Collins on Twitter @pabmundo

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Real Madrid take on Schalke in the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie tonight.

Holding a 6-1 lead going into the match at the Santiago Bernabeu, it’s safe to say the match won’t be tense, but Carlo Ancelotti has called on his players to be professional and respect the opposition. In his pre match press conference he also said he wanted his players to prepare well for the Clasico this weekend and keep up the momentum.

Perhaps that’s the reason why Cristiano Ronaldo will start tonight, while other players are given a rest. Ancelotti revealed he would rotate his team, with Isco, Alvaro Morata, Jese Rodriguez and Raphael Varane all set to start.

But Marca uses its front page to say the Madridista faithful will have their fingers crossed, hoping Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso make it through the game unscathed so they are fit for the crunch match with Barcelona at the weekend.

AS uses its front page to reveal how much Leo Messi’s contract extension will cost Barcelona – some 250 million euros.

But inside the paper there is plenty of focus on Real Madrid. While Ronaldo seems to play all the games, at the other end of the field, club captain Iker Casillas will only play seven more matches this season should Carlo Ancelotti stick with his goalkeeping policy at the moment, and Madrid make it all the way to the final of the Champions League in Lisbon.

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