Page 655

By -
0

Former Real Madrid defender Fernando Hierro has calmed Los Blancos fans’ fears over Gareth Bale’s back problems revealing he played his whole career with a disc bulge, the same injury the Welshman suffers.

Hierro affirmed he didn’t have any problem to develop his professional career in football and he never needed surgery.

“Every patient is a different case, but I was playing with a disc protrusion until I was 37 years old. The medical staff, the club and the coach have to make a decision after analysing the data. In my case, after 18 years in professional football, I keep playing with my friends without the need of entering an operating room,” Hierro said.

Los Blancos’ legend believes there was no need for such an alarm. “Bale’s pre-season has been atypical. His signing wasn’t closed until the last minute and it’s easy to make statements from outside, but it’s the club, the manager and the doctors who have to make the decision after the medical tests. If they decide he can start playing it was because they see he is fit, otherwise they’ll give him more time to rest and adapt to the team,” he concluded.

The former Real Madrid captain left the club ten years ago this week after 14 seasons in the first team squad, when Florentino Perez decided to radically change the team despite having won the league title. The president fired the manager Vicente del Bosque and the captain, a decision that still today is very criticised.

By -
0

Sports newspaper As highlights today in its front page the fact that Gareth Bale is back to normal training with their team-mates, after a few days on-going a special plan to recover from his physical problems.

“Ancelotti wants him to play against Malaga”, As claims. Real Madrid will host the Andalucians next Saturday in La Liga and the Welshman could make his return.

Marca publishes an interview with former Real player and manager Bernd Schuster, who is now coaching Malaga. The German remembers his controversial exit of the club after failing to convince Florentino Perez and the fans with the team’s game. “It wasn’t a glorious exit, but Barcelona gave us a standing guard of honour”, he said, in a reference to the league title he won.

The most sold Spanish newspaper also emphasizes in its front page the close fight for the starting striker spot at Real. “Benzema and Morata return from international games in good shape, having scored two goals each”, they report.

Marca highlights the Frenchman words after ending his goal drought: “It’s been the toughest period of my career”, he admitted.

* Follow Real Madrid News on Twitter

By -
0

Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira has hit out at the Spanish press and said they have made him a scapegoat for anything negative surrounding the club this season.

Los Blancos find themselves five points behind Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid in La Liga already this season, having lost the Madrid derby at the Bernabeu and dropped vital points in a draw away at newly-promoted Villarreal. Critics in the media have said Madrid’s style of play is too slow, and Khedira told German magazine Kicker that he feels he is being made the scapegoat for Real’s slow start.

“I feel insulted by the Spanish press, I will never be one of their favourite sons. I began the season on the bench and once again I’ve been made a scapegoat,” he stated.

The 26-year-old, who joined Los Blancos from Stuttgart following the World Cup in 2010, said his close relationship with former boss Jose Mourinho may explain why he is an unpopular figure in the local press.

He said: “They don’t value me, even when I play well. I’m not Spanish, I didn’t cost a lot and I’m a disciple of Mourinho.”

Khedira has been linked with a move away from the club, with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal believed to be interested in his services.

By -
0

Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso is considering a move to the USA when his contract expires at the end of the season, according to reports.

The 31-year-old has been linked with a number of top clubs in Europe, including Bayern Munich, PSG, and former club Liverpool. But according to Punto Pelota, the World Cup winner is keen on testing himself in a new league.

Although Los Blancos are still thought to be keen to tie Alonso down to a new deal at the Santiago Bernabeu, the central midfielder is believed to have reservations about how much football he’ll play for the club in his advancing years, with the club already able to call upon younger players such as Sami Khedira and Asier Illarramendi.

Some of the top clubs in the MLS would be able to afford Alonso’s wages, particularly the likes of New York Red Bulls or LA Galaxy. He would join other stars of the European league to head to the States to ply his trade. David Beckham spent four seasons at LA Galaxy after leaving Madrid, while Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill play for New York Red Bulls.

Punto Pelota claimed Alonso would be keen on a two-year deal before returning to his homeland to end his career at boyhood club Real Sociedad.

By -
0

Gareth Bale has been having sort of a mini pre-season in order to be ready to play for Real Madrid after the international games break. However, the fact that the club has confirmed he has a chronic disc bulge has alarmed the fans and the press, since it has brought to their minds Jonathan Woodgate’s case.

The centre-back shares with Bale his nationality –British– and the fact that both arrived from a Premier League side. Nevertheless, Real supporters wish the coincidences don’t go any further.

Real Madrid signed Woodgate in 2004 after paying Newcastle 20 million euros. That transfer was heavily criticised, since the player was injured at that time. Los Blancos medical staff didn’t expect the problem to be serious and had no doubt in recommending his signing.

However, things did turn out as they had thought. Woodgate’s injury was more complicated than doctors expected. In fact, the defender didn’t play a single match for Los Merengues in the 2004-2005 season.

Santiago Bernabeu’s crowd had to wait until September 22nd 2005 to see Woodgate make his debut in an official match. It was against Athletic de Bilbao, and it wasn’t the best start: he scored an own goal and was sent off.

Nevertheless, when it looked like he had already come back for good and had already been reported to become one of England’s centre-backs for the 2006 World Cup, he picked up another injury. Thus, he only played 14 games that season for Real.

The club lost confidence in him and decided to send him to Middlesbrough, on loan at first and finally on a permanent deal. In 2007 a poll conducted by sports daily Marca named him the worst signing of the 21st Century. That is why the Madrid faithful will be hoping that Bale won’t be a repeat of the Woodgate saga.

By -
0

Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has claimed team mate Gareth Bale’s rise to become a football superstar in the last two years has been meteoric.

Bale was a relative unknown just a few years ago when he moved from Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur. Even at the north London side he took a while to get going, and was close to being sold to Nottingham Forest at one stage.

But a change in position from wing back to winger saw Bale flourish under Harry Redknapp, and he helped Spurs to challenge for the fourth spot in the Premier League and a place in the Champions League. In his one season in Europe’s premier club competition he put in some memorable performances, particularly when he scored a hat trick against Inter Milan at the San Siro.

Although Spurs narrowly missed out to bitter rivals Arsenal for the final Champions League place, Bale had an outstanding campaign for club and country, scoring 31 goals in total. That earned him his 91 million move to Real Madrid in the summer.

Speaking to AS, former Liverpool player Alonso said Bale’s rise had been spectacular, and he was pleased to be playing alongside him.

“When he started in the Premier I was playing there and he was a wing-back. His rise in two years has been meteoric, his position has moved forward and I’m sure he’ll be showing the form he had in the Premier in a few games,” he said.

By -
0

Marca brings to their front page a list of all the world-class stars qualified for the 2014 World Cup, after the European Qualifier round finished yesterday. The Madrid daily highlights “Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, Benzema and Modric will have to earn their ticket for Brazil in the playoffs”.

Both Madrid sports newspapers emphasise Spain’s 2-0 victory over Georgia, with Iker Casillas back to a starting eleven and Real Madrid homegrown Alvaro Negredo leading the team to seal their spot in the World Cup.

Marca also publishes an exclusive interview with former Real Madrid player and manager Bernd Schuster, now at Malaga, who will come back to Santiago Bernabeu this weekend as Los Blancos host the Andalucians. “Madrid are feeling strange, we can put them in trouble”, he said. “All my teams have always fought at Bernabeu, and Malaga will as well”, he added.

Meanwhile, As publishes the second part of their special report about the tenth anniversary of Florentino Perez’s controversial decision of firing Vicente del Bosque as Real’s manager. The Madrid daily shows a list of all the managers that have failed at Bernabeu since Del Bosque left, including Carlos Queiroz, Jose Antonio Camacho and Vanderlei Luxemburgo.

* Follow Real Madrid News on Twitter

By -
2

Florentino Perez has hinted Real Madrid could try and bring Monaco striker Radamel Falcao to the Santiago Bernabeu next summer.

The former Atletico de Madrid forward is considered one of the best strikers in the world, and moved to the newly promoted Ligue 1 side in the summer in a deal worth around 50 million euros. But according to reports, the Colombian is already unhappy in France and is eyeing a move back to Spain in the near future.

Los Blancos were linked with a move with Falcao but a transfer between Atletico and Real would have caused anger amongst the Colchoneros. Having sold Gonzalo Higuain to Napoli, Real were believed to be on the lookout for a replacement and were linked with Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney, and Robert Lewandowski as well as Falco.

Speaking on Punto Pelota on Monday night, Perez added fuel to the fire about one day seeing Falcao in a Real Madrid shirt. “He (Falcao) won’t come in January but in June, who knows?” Perez said.

He added: “Nothing is impossible and there is a lot of time between now and then. Falcao is a great player and I am aware that he wants to play for (Real) Madrid. I am aware of that, but it’s normal. They told me.”

By -
0

Gerard Pique has said he does not have any issue with Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa after the pair became involved in a Twitter feud last month.

Following Real Madrid’s win over Elche in La Liga, in which Los Blancos were awarded a controversial late penalty, Barcelona defender Pique took to the social networking site to tell his followers he had been watching a “comedy film” unfurl before his eyes.  That comment prompted Arbeloa to respond in a less than friendly manner.

Reports in the Spanish media have suggested there is no love lost between the pair and the relationship is tense when they meet up with the Spanish squad. But the former Manchester United man claimed those stories have been exaggerated by the media.

In quotes published by La Vanguardia newspaper, Pique said: “I’m not sorry about the Twitter post, but I think it’s all been blown out of proportion a bit. I made a comment on a situation, I was answered by a Real Madrid player and suddenly there’s talk of a big conflict when I didn’t send the message specifically to him and Alvaro didn’t send the message specifically to me. There are no hard feelings or bad blood between us.”

The defensive pair both featured for Spain as they beat Belarus 2-1 in a World Cup qualifying match on Friday.

By -
0
Cristiano Ronaldo underwear line

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo is launching an underwear line made by Danish textile firm JBS Textile Group. American designer Richard Chai has designed the collection, although the styles, the fabric and the colours have been taken into consideration by the player as well.

As published on the website cr7underwear.com, the launch will take place on November 1st. Ronaldo will thus follow in the footsteps of David Beckham, who also took his personal brand to fashion by creating an underwear line.

CR7 was already a model for underwear firms such as Armani, but he had never had his own brand. The company JBS, which will produce it, also makes underwear in the name of tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

A speaker of the firm told the press: “It is important for JBS that the people we work with represent the values of our company. Who would be a better example of unbeatable quality than one of the best football players in the world?.”

Irina Shayk’s boyfriend will launch two creative lines: one for a youth public and another one for fashion addicts. If you are one of them, you’ll find them in the shops in just two weeks. For now, you can watch the video of the making-of:

1...654655656...733Page 655 of 733

www.gambleaware.co.uk or www.gamcare.org.uk
Please gamble responsibly