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Portuguese international Cristiano Ronaldo is raring to go ahead of this weekends return to La Liga action with an away match at Almeria.

The Los Blancos star has returned to Spain for routine preparations having sealed his national side a place in the World Cup next year with a hat-trick against Sweden.

“All that’s important now is training for Real Madrid and helping my teammates”, the 28-year-old told Realmadrid.com.

“We’ve had an intense couple of days with our national sides, but we now have two days ahead of us to prepare as well as possible for the next match.

“My only goal now, and that of all my teammates, is to train so that all the Real Madrid fans continue to feel proud of their team,” he concluded.

Ronaldo is the current top scorer in La Liga on 16 goals in 13 matches. His 225 goals in 216 games for Madrid makes him the club’s fifth highest goal scorer, but he’s closing in on Ferenec Puskas on 242.

He’s also this seasons top scorer in the UEFA Champions League so far with eight goals, and his recent involvement for Portugal saw him equal Pauleta’s goal scoring record with 47 goals at international level.

Follow Louis Gibberd-Thomas on Twitter: @mercutio156

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Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish Prime Minister, has backed Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo to pick up the Ballon d’Or award in January.

Speaking in an interview on public radio, Rajoy said the 28-year-old Portuguese star deserved recognition for his outstanding year for club and country. So far in 2013, the Portugal international has scored 66 goals for club and country – he latest being a hat trick against Sweden to confirm his side’s participation in the World Cup in Brazil next summer.

Although a Real Madrid fan, Rajoy also had words of praise for the other two main contenders for the award – Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.

Rajoy, who is not normally fond of making public appearances in his home country, said: “I am a Real Madrid fan, I have always been a Madrid fan. If I had to vote I would vote for Ronaldo. He scored three goals in Sweden. And I think he is in impressive form. He is a player who gives everything, who makes an all-out effort. Yes, I would vote for him.”

Although Ronaldo is the obvious stand out due to his goalscoring achievements, Rajoy also had some kind words for the other two main candidates. Obviously Messi also had a great season. And Ribery won everything, right? Because they won the Champions League, and the European Super Cup and the German league,” he stated.

Rajoy is known to be an avid football fan, and often hides away in Moncloa watching his beloved Real Madrid. While trying to deal with his country’s debt crisis last year he famously took time out to travel to Poland to watch Spain play in Euro 2012, just a day after the country’s banks had been bailed out. That move drew much criticism from many Spaniards who have been made to endure huge swathes of job losses, pay cuts, tax hikes and cuts in public spending as the Government tries to get the nation back on track.

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La Liga is back after a two week break because of the internationals, and Real Madrid will be looking to carry on from where they left off – with a win.

In the last fixture they played, they destroyed Real Sociedad 5-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, with the Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo attacking trident (nicknamed the BBC by the local press) continuing their formidable form in front of goal.

In the last three league games alone, Los Blancos have scored 15 goals, so it will come as no surprise that bookies are offering odd of 3/10 for an away win. Lowly Almeria, who lie in 17th place in the table with just 12 points on the board, are available at 8/1.

While the odds are stacked against them, Madrid’s defensive woes should mean  viewers will see plenty of goals on the south coast tonight – and odds of 4/7 for both teams to score means we are likely to see that happen. For people wanting a flutter, it may be better to opt for slightly better odds of 4/5 for Madrid to carrying on their scoring rate of over 2.5 goals a game this season.

Following his hat trick in midweek against Sweden for Portugal, the bookies have Ronaldo down at 3/1 to score the first goal, and evens to grab a goal at any point in the match. Welshman Bale is looking to carry on his good form, and can be found at 7/1 to get the opener, and 2/1 to score.

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Iker Casillas has reaffirmed he wants to end his career at Real Madrid and that he is focused on doing well and cementing his place in the starting-eleven.

The 32-year-old started for Spain in last weeks defeat to South Africa, and the veteran shot-stopper wants to continue to see regular first-team action.

“I am not thinking about the World Cup right now. I am thinking about doing things right with my club now and training more and working hard to be available for the coach when he needs me,” he told Real Madrid’s website.

“We have done what we needed to do with Spain, we qualified for the World Cup and now I am working to keep doing well at Real Madrid, and if you do well the coach will see that and you’ll get named in the list of 23.”

Casillas has been competing with Diego Lopez for the starting-spot at Real Madrid since former coach Jose Mourinho benched the club-captain last season.

“I am fighting to be first choice. You can’t give up, you have to keeping fighting. Make more sacrifices to get to play in every match. It is the coach’s decision and what I have to do is train and fight for that position, the same as my teammates do”.

“I don’t think that I gave an ultimatum. Every time I talk it is taken out of context. I’m delighted to be here. I want to stay here and finish my career here. If I do not play then I will say that I am sad because I am not playing. What I want is to help the team win as many titles as possible and be available for the coach. ”

Los Blancos will mark their return to La Liga action this weekend with an away trip to Almeria.

“There are four matches that I will be playing in before the end of the year and I’m delighted. The situation eleven years ago is not the same as now; I’m a more veteran player now. Every situation helps you in some way. Eleven years ago it helped me to mature and I am learning from this situation”.

Follow Louis Gibberd-Thomas on Twitter: @mercutio156

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Real Madrid has historically been an attack-minded team. With superstars like Di Stefano, Puskas, Sanchez, Ronaldo( Brazilian), Raul , Gento , Cristiano and many others featuring/having featured in attack, it becomes easy to forget about the defence. Great teams are always built on a solid defence to complement a potent attacking force.

Ancelotti’s Madrid recently has been a delight to watch. High scoring matches with an attacking trident of Benzema, Bale and Ronaldo have truly entertained. However, this flamboyant attack is shifting focus away from a serious concern which is the defence. Let’s analyze the issues in defence.

The defence here refers to the back four and the central holding midfielder(s). Ancelotti has top class defenders at his disposal and yet Madrid struggle to keep a clean sheet and hold out at the back even against some struggling La Liga teams. I believe this is down to two reasons.

First is the lack of continuity or regularity. Ancelotti has continuously used different back 4’s and a different CDM. This has been due to injuries/suspension and part of a process of finding the right balance and the first 11 players. In the left back slot, Marcelo is the undisputed favourite with Coentrao only coming in if he has been injured.  In my opinion, the best centre back pairing is Varane –Ramos. Pepe is experienced and can be a top class replacement. Ancelotti has been unable to play this centre back pairing often until now due to Varane’s injury at the end of last season for which the recovery period extended into the new season.

The CDM position(s) has seen a lot of shuffling with Illara, Alonso, Khedira and even Modric playing there. I think Ancelotti had at last settled on a 3 man midfield of Modric, Khedira and Alonso before Khedira’s injury. What will be done now? Ill talk about that later in this article.

And finally the right back slot. So far it has been the weak link of the defence. First let us consider what is expected from a fullback these days. A solid defensive contribution supplemented with runs down the wing to contribute to attack as well. Perfect embodiments of a fullback are Phillip Lahm, Maicon in his prime, Ashley Cole and Dani Alves of 2009.

What options do we have in the rightback position? Carvajal, Arbeloa and Ramos.

Arbeloa. He is a player who cannot catch a break. Everyone is waiting to scrutinize his mistakes which sadly this season have become frequent. Arbeloa of 2011-2012 title winning campaign was a solid fullback. He provided a good shield down the left wing with the rare foray into the final third. The cracks in his game are beginning to show now. His lack of pace is being exploited by quick wingers. Every time he is beaten, he resorts to petulant fouls which can hurt Madrid. Last year’s Champions League quarter final against Galatasaray comes to mind. With Madrid struggling to hold down a lead, Arbeloa got himself sent off with two yellows in quick succession leaving us even more exposed at the back. This isn’t to say that this is the end of Arbeloa. He still has a lot to offer and has put in some solid performances this season.

Carvajal. To the delight of the Madridistas who love to see one of their own take the field, he was brought back from Leverkusen and many thought he would immediately replace Arebloa who ended last season badly. It is easy to see why he is so highly rated. It would be fair to say he is an extremely raw and rough version of Lahm. They have the same build and both contribute a lot at both ends of the pitch although Lahm is still on a much higher level. Carvajal has had some good games and some really bad ones. Most people believe he is the first choice right back and rightly so looking at his performances last season and some of them this season. The Bernabeu can be an intimidating place for young players who are unfairly expected to immediately perform to high standards. Perhaps a better judgment can be made on Carvajal by the end of the season.

Ramos. There is absolutely no doubt that right now his best position is centre back. His positioning and aggression make him an incredible asset in the middle. He did win the World Cup and the Euro 2008 at rightback but it is clear for everyone to see that he is better at CB. Why play him at RB when he have two good options there?

The defence is an issue at the moment but once the back 4 becomes set and the right balance is achieved in midfield, it will be sorted out.

Speaking of balance, Khedira’s injury seriously affects the balance that we have had recently in midfield. He is often underrated and his pressing and short passes help in ball retention and in winning back the ball. Ancelotti seemed to have found his three man midfield and now he has to reshuffle the pack again.

The two options available would be to replace Khedira with Illara/Casemiro. Casemiro is quite similar to Khedira in terms of his role and physicality but may lack the temperament and experience required to seamlessly slot into this team. Playing Illara on the other hand creates a problem. Illara and Alonso are extremely similar and thereby there would be two deep lying defensive playmakers in addition to another playmaker, Modric slightly forward. Playing Illara would increase the defensive burden on Alonso thereby stifling the true nature of his play which is so vital for Madrid.

The other option would be to play Isco and change the formation to a 4231. This option would be the most favourable in my opinion. Isco’s case is curious. After making a blistering start to the campaign, he has faded a bit and now is on the bench. Isco is world class and playing 4231 would be a good option since almost every player is quite familiar with the system from Mourinho’s era. This might be the time for Isco to get an extended run in the side since Khedira is out for at least six months.

It would be an injustice to not talk about the man on fire, CR7. His performance against Sweden in the second leg of the playoff was incredible.We are quickly running out of superlatives for Ronaldo. He has been white hot since September and has scored 13 goals in six games since the Blatter incident. Perhaps this year the Balon D’Or should be his.

A final word to Khedira. Good wishes to him. All of us Madridistas hope he recovers in time for the end of the season and for Brazil. Animo Khedira.

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Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has said he was delighted to see Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo score a hat trick on Tuesday night for Portugal and is looking forward to seeing him at the World Cup in Brazil next summer.

Kicker magazine carried quotes from the Argentine star saying Ronaldo’s scoring rate is phenomenal, and that the World Cup always needs the best players on the planet to be in attendance.

He said: “I was very happy for him when he scored those goals. It’s just great when the best teams compete in Brazil, and Cristiano has had a great scoring rate for many years now. He plays at an outstanding level.

“I don’t know if this is Cristiano’s best moment, but he is always there, scoring goals in all the games and playing his part for his club and his country. He has been like that for many years. Whether he is at his best, or a bit below that, there is almost no difference.”

He added that Portugal could be one of the outsiders to lift the trophy, but picked Brazil, Germany and Spain as the main contenders.

Speaking about his own World Cup ambitions, Messi stated he would swap all the individual accolades he has won in the game to win the Jules Rimet trophy with his nation as Argentina look to claim the world title they last won in 1986.  “Certainly, to win the World Cup is a dream for me, my teammates and all of Argentina. We are doing well — we need to improve a couple of things, but there are still seven months until the tournament starts. Hopefully we can win there, but a lot of nations can do it,” Messi is quoted as saying.

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Real Madrid press report 22-11-13

Due to the lack of news after a week of international games, Madrid press insist today on boring their readers with the fight to win the Ballon d’Or, which won’t be awarded until January 13th.

Marca titles “Cristiano wave,” claiming there are sectors of the press “in England, Italy, France and Brasil that have pointed at CR7 as the favourite to win the award.”

“Even Mariano Rajoy gives his opinion,” the Madrid daily highlights, pointing out Spanish Prime Minister admitted: “If I had to vote, I’d vote for Cristiano Ronaldo.”

The other main Spanish sports paper, As, also brings to its front page the fact that Italian daily La Gazzetta dello Sport and Rajoy positioned themselves on the Portuguese’s side.

As main focus on their front page is on Iker Casillas’ vote. The captain of the Spanish national team confessed: “I voted for Cristiano and I would be surprised if he didn’t win.”

Having a look at these front pages, one could argue that there are no news at Santiago Bernabeu. Yet, that is absolutely wrong. Keep visiting Real Madrid news to get all the updates about the team.

* Follow Real Madrid News on Twitter

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Speculation over a possible departure from Anfield by controversial Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez has intensified over the summer, despite having signed a long-term contract with Liverpool before the start of last season which would see him through to the summer of 2016. Top among the possible destinations for the player is Real Madrid, reports suggest.

Suarez himself has stated his desire to leave the northern English city on numerous occasions since the beginning of the summer, citing both the English media’s intrusion into his private life, and his inability to play in this season’s UEFA Champion’s League, due to Liverpool’s failure to qualify, as reasons.

As a result of these public statements of discontent, Liverpool bosses blasted Suarez, with coach Brendan Rodgers accusing him of “total disrespect” for the club, and owner John Henry denying him the possibility of leaving. Unexpectedly, just before the start of this season, the relationship seemed to have improved, and there were even discussions of a contract extension, but recent reports suggest the reconciliation has been short-lived.

Both Real Madrid and Premier League rivals Arsenal showed an interest in signing the talented forward over the summer but ultimately failed in turning it into something concrete, despite Real supposedly having a verbal agreement with an agent to sign Suarez for a fee of approximately €45 million, according to Spanish sports daily, Marca. Ultimately, the purported operation fell through, mainly due to the financial burden of bringing Gareth Bale to the Bernabeu for a record-breaking €100 million. As reported this week in Marca, Los Blancos may be preparing a second assault on the Liverpool star, spurred on largely by his top position among Madrid manager Ancelotti’s transfer targets.

26-year-old Suarez spent four seasons at Ajax before transferring to Liverpool and has just begun his fourth season at Anfield, having completed a 10-match ban for an incident last season in which he bit Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. This has been the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the player, who was also suspended for a much-publicised racist outburst against Patrice Evra, as well as openly admitted to diving.

The recent biting fiasco was not the first of its kind for the Uruguayan, who was involved in an identical situation three years ago while playing for Ajax which cost him a seven match suspension. Suarez left the Dutch club during the suspension period to head for Anfield, a deal which cost the English club €26.5 million and which constituted Liverpool’s most expensive signing at the time, albeit only for a few hours, as he was surpassed by Andy Carroll that very same day for €42 million. Liverpool made up some of its losses with the sale of Fernando Torres, that very evening, to Chelsea for €60 million.

If the rumours prove to be true, Reds’ coach Rodgers will likely be reticent to let Suarez go, as he has been in superb form so far this season, having scored 8 goals in 6 games since his comeback, and recently scoring his fourth Premier League hat-trick, his first in Anfield, giving him “the best rate of all 46 players to have scored more than one treble”, according to the BBC.

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Real Madrid defender Fabio Coentrao picked up an injury during last Portugal’s match against Sweden and doctors have confirmed he suffered a muscle sinew tear, that could keep him sidelined for at least two weeks.

The 25-year-old had to be replaced in the 52th minute of the crucial qualifying match for the 2014 World Cup in which the Portuguese national team earned their ticket for Brazil.

With Marcelo also in the treatment room due to a contusion in his knee, Carlo Ancelotti faces a problem in the left-back for the third time this season, with his two main choices crocked.

Last time, against Real Sociedad, the Italian manager opted to line-up Alvaro Arbeloa at the left and Daniel Carvajal as right back.

Nacho Fernandez also has played in that position this season, against Villarreal in La Liga. However, Ancelotti has consistently shown his preference for starting more experienced players, so Arbeloa looks like the Italian’s most likely choice for Saturday’s game at Almeria.

Marcelo is expected to be recovered for next week so Real Madrid’s problems in the left-back should be solved by then.

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Real Madrid blog

When Real Madrid presented their squad at Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the summer transfer market with five central midfielders in the squad –Xabi Alonso, Sami Khedira, Luka Modric, Casemiro and Asier Illarramendi– very few would have imagine that missing only one of them would bring so much uncertainty.

At first it was Xabi Alonso, whose absence saw the team struggling to find their best game at the start of the season. And now that Real seemed to have found a perfect harmony with the Basque’s recovery, Khedira, the man in charge of providing balance in the team, will miss the rest of the season due to a ligament injury.

The question now is how Carlo Ancelotti will replace the German, who has been a crucial piece so far in Los Blancos game. Three options have come up among Madrid fans, all of them with their supporters and their detractors. Let’s analyse the three of them:

1. Signing a player of similar characteristics in the winter transfer market. The names of Benfica’s Nemanja Matic and Paris Saint Germain’s Blaise Matuidi have been brought to the table, but Ancelotti has already denied that Real Madrid will bring any player. Opting for a transfer would be absurd, since it would upset the players who are fighting to get playing minutes and it would force Madrid to sell someone in June, when Khedira is supposed to be back.

2. Keeping the current formation and replace Khedira with a player of similar characteristics, such as Casemiro or Illarramendi. The Basque has had the confidence of Ancelotti since he arrived to the Santiago Bernabeu. However, his profile is more similar to Xabi Alonso’s, as he prefers to keep his position and close gaps rather than joining the attack. Casemiro is more the kind of box-to-box midfielder Real needs with Khedira’s absence. He already played that role in the pre-season and showed he can perform at a very high level.

3. Changing the formation to a 4-2-3-1 with Alonso and Modric as central midfielders, and including either Isco or Angel di Maria in the line-up in the playmaking zone. The Andalusian started the season brilliantly, but Alonso’s return and Modric’s great state of shape sent him to the bench. Di Maria was also a guaranteed starter until Gareth Bale recovered from his physical problems. Both could help the team improve offensively, but Ancelotti risks losing the defensive balance if he goes for this alternative.

Having watched all Real Madrid games in which Casemiro has participated, I can presume that opting to include the young Brazilian in the squad would be the better choice. Of course the 21-year-old would need some time to adapt, and Ancelotti could also try different formations lining-up other players that might work. But,since he arrived to Madrid, Casemiro has shown that he has the potential to become one of the world’s best box-to-box midfielders.

He has a physical strength, he is as clever as the German from a tactical and defensive point of view, and moreover he’s far better when reaching the rival’s area, as he demonstrated in last summer’s USA tour scoring two goals for Los Blancos.

Nobody has more desire for success than this young midfielder, who attends Real Madrid’s training ground even on the team’s days off. He surely deserves at least a chance to show what he’s capable of. Khedira’s injury, as sad as it is for him and for all madridistas, could give football and Real Madrid a diamond for the future.

* Follow Alejandro Gonzalez on Twitter @alejandrognieto

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