Guti to Realmadrid.com
Realmadrid.com caught up with Guti on the eve of Wednesday’s Champions League Round of 16 decider to discuss what exactly goes through a player’s head during such important matches.
The Champions League returns to the Santiago Bernabeu after a three month hiatus and in spectacular fashion. No one wants to miss this match.
It is a very important game for Madridismo and our fans. We need to turn the score around after the first leg outcome. We need to be driven and ambitious from the very start, which will get the crowd fired up for a magical night of football. We really want this after so many years of hardship in this competition. We want Real Madrid to be where it belongs.
What would be going through your mind if you were a fan watching in the Bernabeu?
I would stay very positive, but we the players also have to get that message across. If we start off strong, create early chances and really do what we have to, fans will take notice and will support the team until the very end.
The atmosphere at the Bernabeu on Champions League nights is quite special.
True. It is an special atmosphere. We have had some incredible come-from-behind wins here and played many memorable matches that led us to several finals. We hope Wednesday is similar and that the team plays up to par. It will be a tough game, but we have the talent. We will do everything we can to go through.
What does it feel like to walk onto the pitch and hear 90,000 people cheering for you?
You feel like you can’t let anyone down because they have come to see their team win. The crest and everything this shirt means imply values that must always be left on the pitch.
This tie against Lyon reminds us of those most recent magical nights like that against Bayern Munich here at the Bernabeu.
I will never forget those matches. We did badly in the first leg and knew we were up against a good team, but we stuck it out and Real Madrid came out on top.
Will that atmosphere affect Olympique Lyonnais?
We hope so. They need to feel it. The Bernabeu is an amazing stadium and hard for all visiting teams to play in. It should be a factor, especially at the beginning of the match when they will be waiting to see what our first move will be. The tie will be very much in our favor if we score early.
Cristiano Ronaldo press conference
The only thing really on Cristiano Ronaldo’s mind during this afternoon’s press conference was Wednesday’s showdown against Olympique Lyonnais.
Importance of Wednesday’s game:
Wednesday’s match is do-or-die. We are playing very good football and we have proven that we are the strongest team in La Liga. We are familiar with Lyon. They are a strong team physically speaking, but it’s our turn to play at home.
Morale:
I am convinced that this team will respond and that we will make it through to the next round. I was amazed by the fans on Saturday and I must thank them for their support. I hope we see the same kind of atmosphere on Wednesday because they will play a crucial role in our success. The stadium will be great to see so full and the players are ready.
Strategy:
We need to go out there to win and must begin the match thinking that we are going to score. Lyon didn’t concede any goals against us, but I hope Wednesday is a different story. We know it’s hard, but it is possible. We will do everything we can from the very first to very last minute.
Ambition:
Everyone knows how bad this club wants to win the Champions League. It has nine titles and wants ten, and this year the final is being played here. I am sure we can turn this tie around. We play at home in front of our fans.
Fan support:
I hope our fans are just as supportive on Wednesday. We will do our very best to win. We have to prove to Lyon that we own the Bernabeu.
Alcala 2-3 Real Madrid Castilla
Alcala scored the opening goal, but Nacho Fernandez and Sarabia netted strikes that gave Castilla the lead. The locals nonetheless managed to draw with ten minutes left in the game, but Juan Carlos scored the victory goal following a phenomenal counterattack.
MATCH REPORT:
ALCALA: Ruben Martin; Juani, Joselu, Dani Torres, Villarejo; Nene, Oscar Quesada, Javi Perez, Jaime Moreno; Kike, Miguel Ramos.
REAL MADRID CASTILLA: Adan; Velayos, Gary, Mateos, Nacho; Sarabia (Juanfran, 85′), Mosquera, Cordero, Juan Carlos (Vazquez, 89′); Rodrigo, Samu (Cristian, 67′).
GOALS:
1-0 (20′): Javi Martin (p)
1-1 (35′): Nacho
1-2 (50′): Sarabia
2-2 (80′): Dani Torres
2-3 (81′): Juan Carlos
Notes: Second Division B, Matchday 28. Real Madrid defender Pepe saw the game from the stands.
Venue: Virgen del Val (Alcala de Henares).
Guti press conference
Guti analysed yesterday’s victory and talked about the team’s forthcoming match against Olympique Lyonnais.
Last night’s game:
We are happy about yesterday’s match, but we would have liked to play better at the start. It took us a while to react.
Wednesday’s game:
We can’t afford to make those mistakes on Wednesday. We will play the most important match we’ve had so far this season. We are ready for it thanks to our victory yesterday. The fans were magnificent and I believe we will have a good night if they support us like that again.
Lyon:
Olympique are a serious team. They are well structured in defence, so it is hard to create chances on their goal. They have explosive players who are good at scoring goals. We have to come back from a 1-0 defeat and they won’t make it easy for us. We’ll have to try to win the match from the very first minute, putting a lot of pressure on them. We have to score early on to make them feel more pressured at the Bernabeu. We will be at our best.
Post-match comments
Manuel Pellegrini was delighted with the team’s 3-2 victory over Sevilla. Sevilla suffered a heartbreaking loss to Real Madrid, but coach Manolo Jimenez found no shame in the defeat. Guti and Xabi Alonso were satisfied and excited about tonight’s victory against Sevilla. Sergio Ramos scored the team’s second goal against Sevilla from a header and Rafael van der Vaart netted the strike that gave the team an incredibly important victory. Sevilla let a two goal lead slip against Real Madrid, and Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas were disappointed with the final result.
Pellegrini:
We were rather out of it during the first fifteen minutes. Maybe we were thinking about the possibility of becoming leaders or about the Champions League match we’ll play on Wednesday. We reacted following Sevilla’s opening goal and played great football. We had many chances on goal and failed to capitalise on four or five great ones. Sevilla hardly had any chances and both their goals were rather absurd.
We were a great Real Madrid side tonight against Sevilla, who know how to hold on to a favourable result.
This is our 13th victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. It is, above all else, a great psychological victory. It is very important to be leaders, but it is even more important to depend on no one. We’ve taken a great albeit non decisive step tonight. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win the league title. There are 39 points still at stake and Barcelona will continue to fight.
Guti and Van der Vaart brought something new to our game in midfield. They both recently recovered from injuries and weren’t ready to play the entire match.
The crowd was as spectacular as ever. We always feel their support. They were happy tonight, which in turns makes us happy.
Jimenez:
This is the best Real Madrid team I have seen, and I have seen a lot. They played the electric football that they are famous for. They have players with height, power and speed. They had clear chances and we had counter-attacks, but it is diffcult.
Real Madrid 3-2 Sevilla
Real Madrid made one of the most incredible comebacks of the season against Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu to claim three points and go on level with Barcelona on points at the top of the table splitting the title race wide open. After going 2-0 down, through an unfortunate Xabi Alonso own-goal and an uncharacteristic error from Iker Casillas to let Dragutinovic score from a harmless free kick, after 60 minutes Los Blancos launched a stunning comeback that saw them score three goals through Cristiano Ronaldo (60′), Sergio Ramos (64′) and Rafael van der Vaart (92′). The Madridistas also hit the woodwork thrice in a well deserved but thrilling victory. What better way to cap the 108th anniversary of the club than to become LEAGUE LEADERS!
Manuel Pellegrini made a couple of changes to the side that defeated Tenerife last weekend on the road. Arbeloa came in to the left back position while Marcelo, sporting new corn-rows, shifted up field to displace Granero who started on the bench. Sevilla started with a lone striker in Alvaro Negredo who was backed by Navas, Perotti and Capel.
The game started in a fashion that no one possibly would’ve expected. In the tenth minute of the game an over-powered Jesus Navas cross from the right made its way across the Real Madrid box to be recovered by Diego Capel who delivered a strong low cross which was forced in by Xabi Alonso under pressure from Negredo. It was an unfortunate incident and Casillas couldn’t have done anything about it.
Not bogged down by the incident the Madridistas confidently pushed forward and tested Sevilla’s custodian repeatedly on several occasions. The shots were not good enough to beat the veteran Palop who made a few comfortable saves from Xabi Alonso, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo. Higuain had a very good chance to equalize when a Sergio Ramos cross fell in the right place for him to make a Zidanesque volley, but the Argentine shot right into the waiting goalkeeper’s hands.
Cristiano Ronaldo tried a clever lob pass to Kaka from a free-kick from a position where he should have tested the keeper. Kaka headed the ball awfully wide. The corners came then and again but there was no fruit. Iturralde Gonzalez blew the half time whistle and the players went into the dressing room with the score line reading Real Madrid 0 Sevilla 1.
The second half began and Manolo Jimenez brought in Frederic Kanoute, the veteran Mali striker, in place of the exuberant Diego Capel during the break. This was Sevilla’s second substitution as Konko was taken off just after 20 minutes and was replaced by Adriano Correa due to an injury.
Things only got worse for Los Merengues as Ivica Dragutinovic’s free-kick went untouched by anyone and into Real Madrid’s goal. Casillas looked at Garay and suggested that it was the defender’s duty to have cleared the ball when Iker himself should have done better to have parried it away.
Manuel Pellegrini then decided to make his first change of the game. He made a daring double substitution, getting in Rafael van der Vaart and Guti in place of Alvaro Arbeloa and Lass Diarra thus shifting Marcelo to the left back position. The midfield now contained three excellent passers of the ball with Xabi playing a more defensive role. Guti and Van der Vaart along with Kaka were given the duty of supplying the attackers.
It wasn’t the substitutes who started the turnaround. It was Marcelo – a player who was criticized for the role he played against the same team in the corresponding fixture away. The Brazilian was as always on the attack from the back and deflected in a low cross that became a loose ball that Ronaldo latched on to and scored. The comeback trail had begun!
It took just four minutes for us to equalize. With Rafael van der Vaart coming in, the supply from set pieces got better and a his corner from the left was headed in by former Sevilla man Sergio Ramos. The equalizer had brought back the dying hopes of staying alive in the title race.
Guti hit the woodwork from a stunning shot which would have gone in on any other day. Pipa continued his stunning form but then he could only get a taste of the woodwork not once but twice. Real had several other chances on goal with almost every single chance scuppered in the six yard box. Cristiano missed a chance that he generally would’ve not missed and Sergio Ramos failed to latch on to a tantalizing low cross that went across the goal line and out for a goal kick. Real dominated the possession through out the game. In the mean time Raul came in for Kaka with Pellegrini hoping to clinch top spot when the opportunity was there for it to be taken. Sevilla replaced Negredo with a defensive option in Aldo Duscher.
It was inevitable. It took some time to come but then there was no doubt as to whether Real deserved the three points or not. The substitute Van der Vaart made the most of a goal mouth scramble, after Higuain’s header was initially saved by Palop, to squeeze in what would turn out to be the winner and three points for the Madridistas.
The Santiago Bernabeu erupted and so did the rest of the Madridistas around the World! League leaders!
Real Madrid vs Sevilla | Spanish Primera Division | Round 25 | Preview
Real Madrid haven’t lost a single league game at the Bernabeu this season. Defeating Sevilla tonight (22:00 CET) would also give the Whites their seventh consecutive victory in La Liga just four days before their home Champions League clash with Olympique Lyonnais.
Guti and Arbeloa are no longer respectively injured and suspended and will be able to face Sevilla tonight. On the other hand, Benzema, Drenthe and Pepe still have to recover and will miss the game.
GOALKEEPERS: Casillas, Dudek.
DEFENDERS: Ramos, Albiol, Arbeloa, Metzelder, Marcelo, Garay.
MIDFIELDERS: Diarra, Gago, Lass, Xabi Alonso, Granero, Kaka, Guti, Van der Vaart.
FORWARDS: Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, Higuain.
Sevilla are solidly placed on Champions League qualifying positions on the league table. They are currently fourth thanks to 13 victories, four draws and seven defeats. They haven’t drawn any of their away games so far, winning 6 and losing 5. They are only three points behind Valencia, who are currently third on the table. Their goal is to take the third spot, but they won’t be able to count on the injured Luis Fabiano and Renato tonight.
GOALKEEPERS: Palop, Javi Varas.
DEFENDERS: Stankevicius, Escudé, Drago, Konko, F. Navarro, Adriano, Fazio.
MIDFIELDERS: Duscher, Zokora, Lolo, Perotti, Jesús Navas, Capel, Acosta.
FORWARDS: Kanouté, Negredo.
Real Madrid and Sevilla have clashed 172 times in the league throughout their history, resulting in favourable results for the Madridistas. Just at the Bernabeu, the Whites have defeated tonight’s opponent 46 times, drawing 11 games and only losing 8.
Referee: Mr. Iturralde Gonzalez
Lets get ready to rumble!
I… SHOULD… NOT… BE… NERVOUS…
…I am not sure about the players, but I am nervous. It is a must win game tonight which will be followed by yet another must win game. And that is just making my fears worst. It could be the best week ever or the worst one ever. A bit of both could also happen…
I… MUST… HOPE.. FOR… THE.. … …BEST…
…Hopefully there will be no injuries and we’ll go into the midweek game with loads of ketchup and squeeze more out of Lyonnais cunts. Then probably we’ll draw Man United and smack them around the park like we always do and then maybe we’ll draw Barcelona in the semi-finals and beat the livin’ crap out of them like last time and progress to the finals where we will have Bayern Munich and big mouth Van Gaal. A neat 6-0 win in the finals would just be the icing on the cake. By then we’ll be the kings of …
I… MUST… FOCUS… ON… SEVILLA… NOT… LYON…
…As far as the game tonight is concerned, Xabi Alonso has made himself available despite having some trouble in the abdominal region yesterday after training. Marca has said that the Spanish midfielder will feature tonight. He has to. He won’t be available for midweek…
Pellegrini press conference
The next five days are crucial for Real Madrid, who put La Liga and the Champions League on the line against Sevilla and Lyon, but Manuel Pellegrini made it clear during today’s press conference that the team is taking one match at a time.
Sevilla:
Sevilla are as tough an opponent as all the other teams who have visited the Bernabeu. They beat us in the first match by playing very well. We hope to return the favor. Every match is different, and both these teams are different than when they first met. Real Madrid have made a lot of progress and Sevilla are in very good form. I hope we can beat them this time round.
Their squad:
Sevilla have a very talented squad and it doesn’t matter who plays. They are in the hunt for several titles. They are extremely motivated by the chance to beat us, but the same goes for us. Jesus Navas is very talented and he will be tough to stop, but he isn’t the only player we need to keep an eye on.
Importance of tomorrow:
Winning on Saturday is crucial. There are 14 matches left and 42 points in play. We cannot give up as long as there is a mathematical chance. We need to beat Sevilla to stay in the hunt for the title and Lyon to make into the quarterfinals.
Lyon:
We haven’t even begun thinking about Lyon. We will do so starting on Sunday.
We need some more ketchup – Sevilla pre-preview
I want more ketchup!
Sevilla. Good team. Fourth in the table. 16 points behind us and 3 behind third placed Valencia. All that they want is 3 points. As simple as that. They got what they wanted last time we played them and are known to make life tough for us.
Real Madrid. Better team. Second in the table. 2 points behind league leaders Barcelona and might be five behind before kick-off as Barcelona play Almeria before our game. All that we want is three points as well. Our advantage is that we play at home. But generally Sevilla have never felt like they are away from home at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid vs Sevilla. 22:00 CET kick-off. Expected to be one helluva game by the neutrals as it generally involves a lot of goals. I’m gonna watch the game. Don’t miss it.
¡Hola!
Welcome to today’s post. Its all about ketchup. If we have loads of ketchup and the opponent doesn’t we are guaranteed 3 points. If its the other way round then they get three points and we get zilch. Confusing isn’t it?
Ruud told me that goals are like a bottle of kethcup. Sometimes they don’t come no matter how much you push, but later they all come out in one hit.
So said Gonzalo Higuain in his interview to La Sexta. Its all about getting the ketchup. The Argentine has been getting it right this season just like he did last season and took his form with Real to Germany where he traveled with his national side to earn Diego Maradona’s side a valuable win by scoring the only goal of the game proving himself yet again as to why he deserves an improved contract. He spoke about his contract as well, saying:
I hope an agreement is arrived upon as soon as possible, but this is something that pertains to my family and my agent. I am dedicating myself to playing football and that’s what I enjoy the most.
I too hope so. HE DESERVES A DAMNED RAISE! ARE YOU LISTENING Sr.PEREZ?
Guti to Realmadrid.com
Guti sat down with Realmadrid.com to discuss personal matters as well as the team’s performance of late and how Los Blancos are preparing for what is left of the season.
How do you feel?
I have recovered from the sports hernia, but I wasn’t out long enough to lose my rhythm. I am anxious to play again like I was prior to the injury.
Madridistas like the way the team is playing and scoring a lot of goals.
We didn’t start off playing at the level people wanted to see, but there were a lot of changes including new players and coach. They needed time to adapt and now we are playing well. All the new signings are performing really well, as are the guys who have been here longer.
What was the turning point?
There was a before and an after to the match against Deportivo Coruña. We were worried about that match, but we played very well and didn’t give them a chance. Since then we have been very offensive-minded. We want to score a lot of goals and to make sure that we win a title this year.
Is there still room for improvement?
Always. You need to realize that we are talking about the best players in the world. We are pleased with how they are performing, but there is always room for improvement.
Scoring eleven goals in two matches isn’t an easy feat.
It is one of our strong suits. We have a ton of striking power, like you saw in Tenerife when we scored on our first two chances. Perhaps we don’t have the ball as much as we would like, but we create a lot of danger when we do.
Barcelona aren’t playing at the same level as last year. Is now the time to cut into their two-point lead?
You must keep in mind that they have had a lot of injuries, but they have also had trouble winning matches in dominating fashion like they used to. We hope they slip up soon so that the Clasico here at the Bernabeu is the deciding match.
Xabi Alonso press conference
Xabi Alonso said he was satisfied with Spain’s performance against France last night. The midfielder now thinks about Real Madrid’s clash with Sevilla on Saturday.
The France game:
Spain’s game yesterday may not have been our best, but positive things were seen throughout. We were solid and experienced no problems in defence. Our collective efforts were fantastic.
Higuain:
I am very happy for Higuain. He is playing as well for Argentina as he is at Real Madrid. It is very important for him to be in great shape for the World Cup because there is a lot of competition for the striker position on his national team. His excellent performances are great news for Real Madrid and Argentina.
La Liga:
We are just two points behind Barcelona because we’ve managed to stand out more than other teams. Both Barcelona and us are having a very good season and the league table shows this. There are many games left this season.
Thursday round up
Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas: Future Madridistas?
¡Buenos dias!
After a good round of International friendlies which saw all the Madridistas return victorious and without any injuries whatsoever the focus returns to the Primera Division and the big game against Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Kaka played in the 0-2 victory against Ireland for Brazil on Tuesday and returned to training yesterday. Former Madridista Robinho got the goals for the Brazilians. The Spaniards were victorious in France for the first time since 1968 and won by two goals to nil thanks to goals from David Villa and Sergio Ramos. Casillas, Albiol, Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso too were a part of the side. Lass had to end up on the losing side. Gonzalo Higuain got only his second goal in Argentina colors which turned out to be the winner in the eventual 1-0 win over Germany. Cristiano Ronaldo and Van der Vaart too were successful. Ronaldo made an assist to the first of two goals for his side against the People’s Republic of China. Hugo Almeida and Liedson sealed a 2-0 victory for the hosts. Van der Vaart was a second half substitute for the Dutch National side which defeated the United States of America 2-1 at the Amsterdam Arena. Kuyt and Huntelaar got the goals for the Oranje whereas Bocanegra got the consolation goal for USA.
We play Sevilla on Saturday in the 22:00 CET kick-off game at the Santiago Bernabeu. And considering the magnitude of the game and whatever is at stake there has been a lot of talking going on more about Real’s interest in the in-form Jesus Navas right in the middle of it that about the game itself. But we’ll get to Navas later in this post. Right now lets just concentrate on the game.
France 0-2 Spain
Spain confirmed their position among the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ favourites with a dominant 2-0 victory over France in their friendly match at the Stade de France on Wednesday.
The European champions prevailed through first-half goals from David Villa and Sergio Ramos, inflicting upon their hosts a first defeat in 13 home games. Worse for France was their powerlessness in the face of Spain’s masterful control of possession and the home fans made their feelings known at regular intervals by imploring under-fire coach Raymond Domenech to resign.
The enigmatic 58-year-old has seen his popularity plummet since leading France to the 2006 FIFA World Cup final and the defeat will increase calls for him to step down before this summer’s finals in South Africa.
Thierry Henry, representing his country for the first time since his infamous handball in the play-off victory over Ireland in November, was whistled when he left the field in the second half, while the French fans took to airing their frustrations by cheering every completed Spanish pass.
Florent Malouda headed against the post from fellow substitute Djibril Cisse’s right-wing cross in the 80th minute and it was to prove the closest the hosts came to a breakthrough. Sevilla winger Jesus Navas almost made it 3-0 in injury time but his shot across goal from the inside-right channel flashed narrowly wide.
France had made an industrious start, with Franck Ribery a persistently menacing presence on the right of midfield. The hosts, though, were playing with an untested centre-back pairing of debutant Michael Ciani and Julien Escude, and cracks quickly appeared.
A Wednesday
Jesus Navas: I do.
Hola,
Have you guys seen this Hindi film called A Wednesday? If you haven’t then I suggest you do as soon as you’re done reading this post. Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with the movie.
Today, unlike the past two days, I have a whole lot of stuff for you lovely readers. I’ve brought with me the usual stats, comments, speculations, rumors, jokes and more comments. So without further adieu…
Realmadrid.com, like always, has given a few interesting stats for us today. Firstly, Marcelo’s assist to Higuain on Saturday following a Zidane-like pirouette was the Brazilian’s seventh of the season and fifth to the Argentine striker, making him the team’s top assist man in La Liga action. And secondly, Not only are Real Madrid the highest scoring team in both La Liga and the Champions League, but they have also conceded the second fewest goals of all teams in Europe’s major leagues and they force the most turnovers in La Liga.
Iker Casillas discussed Spain’s friendly against France, Kaka managed to comment on the season and AS caught up with Cristiano Ronaldo while the Portuguese forward is on international duty. Since these are really lame I have chosen to ignore them and move on like the interesting blogger that I am.
Today’s training featured a practice game between the first team and Castilla. The first team won thanks to goals from Raul, Rodrigo and Ruben Ramos while Juanfran scored for Castilla. Kaka trained on his own outdoors despite playing the whole of yesterday’s Ireland-Brazil fixture. Benzema and Drenthe stayed in the gym with Pepe. Mahamadou Diarra trained on the pitch today and participated in the practice game.
I’d rather die than apologize to him…
Buenos dias,
On a day that saw Real Madrid retain the top spot in the Deloitte Football Money League for the second consecutive year what I have for you is a whole lot of comments. And that means I do not have much to write here. But what I can assure you is that these comments are really interesting, so much that, I couldn’t pick out the best few lines for you to read. Trust me, you will like it.
El Pais asked Zinedine Zidane whether he regrets his actions in the 2006 WC final that saw him head-butt Marco ‘Son-of-a-bitch’ Materazzi to get himself expelled via a red card leading to France’s loss to Italy eventually through a penalty shoot-out. And this is what he had to say:
Of course I reproach myself. But, if I say ‘sorry’, I would also be admitting that what he himself did was normal. And for me it was not normal. Things happen on the pitch. It’s happened to me many times. But I could not stand it there. Because moreover…it is not an excuse. But my mother was ill. She was in hospital. This people did not know. But it was a bad time. More than once they insulted my mother and I never responded. But there…and it happened.
And to apologise for this…if it was Kaka, a regular guy, a good guy, of course I would have apologised. But to this one… If I ask him forgiveness, I lack respect to myself and to all those I hold dear with all my heart. I apologise to football, to the fans, to the team… After the game, I went into the dressing room and told them, ‘Forgive me. This doesn’t change anything. But sorry everyone’. But to him I cannot. Never, never…it would be to dishonour me…I’d rather die. There are evil people. And I don’t even want to hear those guys speak.
I don’t know why he should regret what he did. I think he should’ve gone on to beat that cunt up in front of the millions of people watching. Sledging is common these days. I agree. Zidane could’ve just moved on and not done anything about it. And thats what he did initially. But repeated provocation is something that no human with emotions can handle. And they will try and vent out that anger. Some might just laugh it off, some cry out and others beat the other person up. I am sure no Frenchman/Madridista regrets whatever he did. I bet half of the Italians were on Zizou’s side on the issue. Anyhoo, bygones are bygones. We have to move on.
He is a symbol
What makes a person stand out up and above his peers? Is it the respect that he commands? Is it his achievements that count? Or is it what he means to the people who patronize him? Is there any other reason? Even if there is another criteria I am sure that there is one man, someone whom we all know and love, who fulfills the requirment. Some call him El Capitan and the rest El Siete. He was born as Raúl González Blanco and grew up to become nothing less than a legend. He is indeed a symbol.
Firstly, a brief introduction for a man who needs no introduction. Born 27 June 1977 in Madrid, Raúl began his footballing career with San Cristóbal in 1987, a small club in the Marconi colony of San Cristóbal de los Ángeles, a modest district of Madrid. His father Pedro was a staunch supporter of Atletico Madrid and Raúl joined Atletico after three years in 1990. But that wasn’t where his destiny lay. He joined Real Madrid C in the 1994-95 season and made it to the first team in the same year at a tender age of 17 under Jorge Valdano and the rest is history.
Just another Madridista
Posttraumatic stress is a bitch
Screw you ref! This calls for nudity!
You know that Real Madrid can turn a tie around from any given situation.
You definitely know that Real Madrid can turn a tie around from any given situation if the game is being played at Fortress Bernabeu.
And that is exactly what happened in the weekend’s game against Sevilla. We go not 1-0 but 2-0 down and stayed that way with just 30 minutes left on the clock. The fact that Barca dropped points added the pressure that a win would see us on level with them and ahead on goal difference. What did we do? We scored three goals, the first two coming in 4 minutes and the winner in the second minute of added time. Now, we’re on top of La Liga and beaming with confidence with the all important midweek game to look ahead.
Like all the others who saw the game live, I too am suffering from PTSD. And it is a bitch, mind you. My heart rate went up and down like an Alpine pass and I would’ve lost a few hundred calories during the post-match celebrations especially with all the jumping and dancing. I think it would be safe to say that it was one of my all time favorite Real Madrid matches and the one of the most exciting games ever from a neutral’s perspective. Though I’d any day prefer a nice comfortable win over such a nail biting encounter as a Real Madrid fan, the football fan in me would love to see a few games now and then which is as exciting as this one. Of course either ways Real Madrid should win all of them.
Real Madrid started preparing for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Olympique Lyonnais just hours after the Sevilla game. The starters jogged and did stretching exercises to recover from last night’s strain. Guti, Gago, Diarra, Van der Vaart, Granero, Raul and Metzelder played piggy-in-the-middle and tackled an obstacle course devised by fitness trainer Jose Cabello. Dudek and Real Madrid C keeper Tito (Adan was playing a match with Castilla) trained under the supervision of Xavier Mancisidor. Cristiano Ronaldo and Ramos did recovery exercises in the gym with the injured Benzema and Drenthe. Pepe was watching Castilla play Alcala at Alcala.
(more…)
Share this:
March 8, 2010 | Categories: Comments, General, News | Tags: Karim Benzema, Lassana Diarrà, Olympique Lyonnais, Rafael van der Vaart, Sevilla FC | 4 Comments »