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Former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon has said David Moyes would be sacked if he was in charge of Los Blancos and lead them on the same path Manhcester United are on now.

The Scot has endured a difficult campaign at Old Trafford since taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson in the summer. The Red Devils look set to finish the season outside the Champions League places in the Premier League, and were knocked out of both domestic cup competitions. While they remain in the Champions League, they have some work to do to make the quarter-final having lost the first leg to Olympiacos 2-0 this week.

Speaking in an interview with TalkSport, Calderon said if the same happened at the Santiago Bernabeu, Moyes would be shown the exit door. Known for firing managers on a frequent basis while in charge at the club, he added that some of the men he got rid of had actually won silverware, but that still didn’t save them from getting their P45.

“Yeah, of course. We did it. In fact Capello (who won La Liga in 2007) didn’t do a bad job but the next year with Schuster we played in a different way and finished 18 points ahead of Barcelona. We won the league five matches before the end of the league, we finished with 18 points [more than Barcelona],” he told Andy Gray and Richard Keys.

He also warned United of the economic disaster the club could face if they don’t make it to the Champions League next year.

“Economically it’s a mess, it’s a problem, it’s a real disaster. All of the sponsors are going to pay according to whether you’re in the Champions League or you’re out, if you’re in or out, and that’s very important,” he stated.

And he added: “For Real Madrid it would be very important in the budget. There is no difference in those contracts for Manchester and Real Madrid. It’s everything. In the case of Real Madrid I say you could lose €100 million.”

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There are some midweek international friendlies taking place this week, so now is a good time to take stock of what has happened so far this season, and look forward to the final couple of months.

And in its assessment of Real Madrid’s season so far, Marca says it is full marks for Los Blancos. Despite a slow start to the season by their high standards, Carlo Ancelotti’s men currently sit at the summit of La Liga, a point clear of Barcelona. Of the 12 games remaining, Real have seven at home, on of which is the visit of their Catalan rivals, a game that will have a huge say in the destination of the trophy.

As well as going strong in the league, Madrid are also in the final of the Copa del Rey, where they come up against Barcelona next month at the Mestalla in Valencia.The last time the two met in the final, Real won, thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo header. On the European front, Madrid are considered as one of the favourites for the Champions League, and showed why in the thrashing of Schalke last week.

Elsewhere, Karim Benzema has said he can’t choose between winning the Champions League with Real Madrid or the World Cup with France. When face with the choice, it is impossible to make a decision because both are so important, he says.

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Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has said the team was disappointed to leave the Vicente Calderon with a point after drawing 2-2  in the derby against city rivals Atletico de Madrid.

Los Blanos came out of the blocks quickest, taking the lead through Karim Benzema after just three minutes. But they were pegged back by goals from Koke and Gabi as the hosts took a half time lead.

Much of the game was a tense and tetchy affair, but the visitors grabbed a late equalizer through Cristiano Ronaldo, to ensure the nine-time European Cup winners hold a one point advantage at the top of La Liga. Speaking to reporters after the match, Ramos said the away dressing room was an unhappy one, as the players expect to win every game they play.

“Any points are good. In the first fifteen minutes we were very switched on, but because of the first goal perhaps we were guilty of relaxing and they were able to take advantage. In the second half we dominated and we deserved more goals. One point isn’t enough because Real Madrid are expected to win every game,” he said.

Speaking about the state of affairs at the top of the league, Ramos added he was confident Madrid would stay at the summit. “We come away from here with a point, from a difficult opponent and ground, and we’re still top. We have a lead and we’ll try to increase it. We’ll have to wait because the Liga is very long,” he stated.

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The Sun reports that Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid are eyeing Celtic goalkeeper Fraser Forster.

The 25-year-old Celtic player has been playing exceptional in the Scottish league including breaking the clean-sheet record so far this season.

By winning his first England cap against Chile on November 15, 2013, Forster has already been rewarded for his work. In the friendly match against Chile, the England international conceded two goals and now has another opportunity to play for his national team when they come up against Denmark this week.

Apparently, Barcelona and Real Madrid are targeting a goalkeeper in the summer as both of their goalies Victor Valdes and Iker Casillas are opting to leave their clubs. Valdes is rumoured to have agreed a deal to sign for French side Monaco when his deal expires at the Nou Camp in June.

Meanwhile, Casillas has been linked with a host of clubs, including Arsenal and Manchester City, as he has played second fiddle to Diego Lopez at the Santiago Bernabeu for more than a year and is believed to want first team football on a regular basis again.

Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus are expected to join Barcelona and Real Madrid in the battle to sign Forster, who is worth eight million euros.

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Jese Rodriguez father Pascual

Jese Rodriguez’s parents must be very proud of him, but not only for his incredible performances on the field. Despite his young age -he’s only 21 years old- the Canary Islands born player is more mature than many footballers.

Since he arrived at the Real Madrid youth teams, he has only had one goal: Becoming a world-class star and allow his father Pascual to retire from his job at a drugs store.

Jese has already fulfilled one of his dreams, signing a professional contract with Los Blancos first squad. And in his first year making good money as a football player he’s invested his salary in buying a house in Gran Canaria for his parents Pascual and Maria.

Both of them made a great effort to help Jese achieve his dreams, and the rising football star has given them his gratitude in return as soon as he has been able to. Despite living away from his family for a number of years now, Jese maintains a strong bond with them. In fact, he’s got the names of his parents tattooed in his hands, and the name of his brothers in his calf muscle.

Jese, also a loving father

Many people don’t know that Jese is already father to a one year and a half boy, whose name and date of birth is also tattooed in his arm. Moreover, the name of the kid -Jese Junior- is written in the Audi he was gifted by Real Madrid’s sponsor.

The child lives in the Canary Islands with his mother, with whom Jese is not in a relationship anymore, but the footballer travels there as often as he can to see him. In fact, he brought him to his training with Real Madrid Castilla once, for his teammates to meet him.

Although leaving so far from his beloved family is not easy, Jese has found great support in Paralimpic swimming medallist Enhamed Enhamed, who is a good friend of his and a source of inspiration. His manager Gines Carvajal has also help him in turning from a teenager who liked to party a lot, to a mature father and focussed professional.

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Jose Mourinho’s time as Real Madrid manager was “below average” in the history of the biggest club in the world, says Jorge Valdano.

The self-annointed Special One proved he wasn’t quite as special as he thought, by failing to land the much coveted Decima Champions League trophy, despite having millions of euros to spend at his disposal every summer to strengthen the side.

In his three-year stint in the Spanish capital, Mourinho guided his team to success in the Copa del Rey and La Liga. However, his legacy is one of being a trouble maker. Never happy unless he is insulting someone, Mourinho fell out with rival managers, the Spanish football authorities and even many members of his own squad.

Despite claiming he was a new person when appointed as Chelsea manager again in the summer, saying he would be calm and more respectful, he is evidence you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, as he’s spent the last few weeks taking personal aim at Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

And speaking in Guatemala, where Valdano is promoting his new book, the Real legend said: “Jose Mourinho’s spell in charge of Real Madrid was below the historical average for the club.”

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Barcelona defender Adriano has dismissed Real Madrid’ strikeforce, saying that Barcelona are “not scared” by Los Blanco’s firepower.

Barcelona got back on track by beating Almeria 4-1 after a shock 3-1 defeat to Real Sociedad, but Real remain in top spot despite a 2-2 draw against fierce rivals Atletico.

Real beat German team Schalke 6-1 last Wednesday, with forwards Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo all scoring twice.

But despite an impressive goal haul, Adriano claimed that Barcelona are just as good.

The Brazilian claimed in an interview, “Madrid are not scary. We also had some very good games, like in Manchester (against City). Before the game people had doubts but we did very well.”

“It’s not easy getting six goals but people say Schalke aren’t at Madrid’s level. But Madrid had a very good game.”

Barcelona’s defeat to Real Sociedad came not long after Barcelona lost 3-2 at home to Valencia, their first league defeat at the Camp Nou since April 2012.

But Adriano said “We learn from defeats, and what happened at Real Sociedad taught us a lesson.”

“We need to be more intense to make sure nothing like that happens again.”

Barcelona go to the Bernabeu for El Clasico in three weeks time.

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Real Madrid remain top of La Liga with a one point advantage over Barcelona, who easily saw off Almeria last night 4-1, after Los Blancos and Atletico de Madrid drew 2-2 at the Vicente Calderon.

And the papers this morning are calling the derby a war without a winner. Like most derbies, this was a tense affair that threatened to spill over at times. It looked as though the game wouldn’t end with 11 vs 11 at one point.

Carlo Ancelotti accused the Atletico players of being a touch too violent in their approach to many of the challenges yesterday. There were plenty of theatrics on display too, with Pepe and Godin involved in comical scenes, while Diego Costa also earned himself a yellow card for taking a dive.

In their assessment of the game, both Marca and AS question Diego Lopez for the second Atletico goal – the 35-yard effort by Gabi. Was the keeper to slow to react? The debate could well keep the issue of who should be the number one alive. Would Casillas have saved an effort like that?

As the season enters the final stages, AS looks at the remaining fixtures for the top three sides, and says they favour Los Blancos, who have seven at home and five away. Barcelona have six at home and six away, while Atletico have five home games left and seven away trips to make.

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Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso said Los Blancos are always prepared for a tough encounter when they visit the Vicente Calderon to play Atletico de Madrid.

The city rivals shared the spoils in a 2-2 draw on Sunday evening in a tense match in which tempers threatened to boil over at times. Karim Benzema gave Los Blancos the lead early on, but the hosts leveled through Koke and went ahead thanks to a great effort from Gabi. Cristiano Ronaldo equalised for the visitors with just five minutes left on the clock.

The match was niggly throughout, with penalty appeals turned down, and plenty of amateur theatrics on display too. Pepe and Godin both got themselves into the book with some comical antics in the first half while waiting for a corner to be taken.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Alonso said Real were prepared for a physical and tense encounter. The draw means Atletico haven’t beaten the nine-time European Cup winners in La Liga at home since 1999.

“We played more restrained but in the second half we were better. Getting the draw means we did better,” Alonso stated.

He added: “It was a rough, tough game with stoppages that went against us and our way of playing the game. There is nothing new in Vicente Calderon or any time you play Atletico. They’re sharp and intense.”

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Atletico Madrid came close to inflicting the first defeat of 2014 on Real Madrid, as they came from behind in the first half after Karim Benzema’s goal, and made a great defensive effort in the second half.

However, as Marcelo, Dani Carvajal and Isco came on from the bench, Los Merengues found the inspiration they needed to take control of the game and grab a point. Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal ensured Madrid stay top of La Liga for now, although the draw gives Atletico the crucial tie breaker on their city rivals thanks to their head-to-head record.

Los Merengues took an early lead as Benzema met Angel di Maria’s cross after a corner kick and sent the ball to the back of the net in the third minute.

The referee denied Atletico a penalty as Diego Costa went down when Sergio Ramos leant in with the contact, causing an almighty howl from the home crowd.

The game broke up, with Atletico pushing forward, and the hosts equalised after a brilliant play from Arda Turan, who twisted and turned at the edge of the box, deceiving two Real players and assisting Koke, who smashed a shot into the bottom corner.

The match was very aggressive, and it seemed unlikely that it would end up 11 vs 11. In fact, Pepe and Godin were both booked after the Uruguayan contacted the Brazilian and Madrid’s defender shamelessly took a dive.

It was a high-intensity clash, but there were not many goal chances. Ronaldo could have put Los Merengues back ahead, but Thibaut Courtois touched the ball and it ended up hitting the post.

When the first half was about to finish, Gabi hammered a stunning strike from 40 metres to the top corner and Diego Lopez failed to meet it, allowing the Colchoneros take the lead before half time.

Having come back from behind, Atleti started the second half very motivated, and despite Madrid’s efforts to take control of the game, the hosts had the best chances to score. However, Costa missed three shots from inside the box.

Benzema was close to making it 2-2 as he sent a volley wide of the post after a cross from Modric. A couple of minutes later, Courtois made a superb save to deny Bale’s header following a cross from Di Maria. However, Costa could have also sealed the victory as he hit the post with a header.

Ancelotti put Marcelo, Carvajal and Isco into play, replacing Fabio Coentra, Alvaro Arbeloa and Di Maria, and that made Los Blancos take control of the game, with Atleti tightly close in defence, hoping to make it 3-1 in a counter-attack.

Ronaldo had a great chance as he rose between the two centre-backs and sent a header wide of the post. However, he wouldn’t miss when he received a cross from Carvajal and drilled his effort to the bottom corner to earn a deserved draw for Los Blancos.

Atletico players were exhausted in the last minutes and Real pushed to get the victory, especially through Marcelo’s crosses. Yet, Courtois salvaged a point for the hosts, who will remain three points behind Los Blancos in the table.

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