║ La Liga Season 2013-14 ║

[Barcelona]

Madrid's Nacho makes Spain bow
The 23-year-old has become the first Real Madrid player to make his international debut for the world champions since Raul Bravo in 2002

Pique: Barca were tiki-taka slaves
The Spain international has hailed Tata Martino's approach and feels it's beneficiary for the Catalans that they now have more options

Alexis Sanchez pays Martino tribute
The winger has paid tribute to his new coach for getting him back to his best form at the start of this season

Morata optimistic about Madrid future
The young attacker is confident that his good performances with the Spain Under-21 side will not have gone unnoticed with head coach Carlo Ancelotti

Fabregas backs Ozil to shine
The Barcelona midfielder has tipped the Germany international to become a leading star under Arsene Wenger following his arrival from Real Madrid

Villa: I'm not here to replace Falcao
The Atletico Madrid striker insists his only intention is improving the club's fortunes following his summer move from Barcelona

CR7 & Messi prove football is No.1
Six out of 10 of the world's most popular sportsmen are footballers, according to a new report on social media followings, which serves to underline the game's global appeal

 

[Barcelona]

Barcelona strike deal with United Arab Bank

Barcelona have agreed a three-year sponsorship deal with the United Arab Bank, which the La Liga champions said was the first lender in the United Arab Emirates to partner a soccer club.

Reuters – Mon, Sep 9, 2013 19:54 BST

Barca did not disclose financial details of the agreement, which runs to July 2016, but said some UAB customers would be rewarded with "top-end hospitality seats" to watch the club's matches.

"United Arab Bank is looking to tap into the nation's immense passion for football in general and FC Barcelona in particular," Barca said in a statement on their website.

"As official partner of the club, the bank will create a range of customised Barca-themed products to meet the demands of the many Barca fans across the UAE."

 

[Barcelona]

Taffarel: Casillas past his best

By Stefan Coerts66
Sep 10, 2013 11:04:00 AM

The former Brazil international believes the Real Madrid goalkeeper is no longer in his prime and singled out Germany's No.1 as the world's best between the posts

Claudio Taffarel believes Iker Casillas is past his best and says Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer is now the finest goalkeeper in the world.

The Real Madrid star, 32, lost his place to Diego Lopez under Jose Mourinho last season and has remained second choice following Carlo Ancelotti's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu.

In contrast, Neuer won the treble with Bayern last season and has gone from strength to strength since joining the club from Schalke in 2009.

"For me, Neuer is the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment. Casillas is past his best, whereas Neuer is still getting better," Taffarel told Sport Bild.

"The way he plays as a goalkeeper and his technique are extraordinary. Not just in possession, but mainly how he parries and catches shots.

"Someone like Oliver Kahn never had this kind of technique. Kahn was a great goalkeeper, but Germany have had better shot stoppers.

"Neuer is definitely better than Kahn was. I've known for years that he would become an impressive goalkeeper."

The 27-year-old kept 18 clean sheets in 31 Bundesliga appearances last term.

 

[Barcelona]

Bale 'not ready for Madrid start'

Wales manager Chris Coleman believes Real Madrid would be taking a major gamble if they were to include Gareth Bale in their starting line-up on Saturday.

PA Sport – 10.09.2013

Wales forward Gareth Bale joined Real Madrid from Tottenham in a world-record move

Real's trip to Villarreal is expected to mark Bale's first appearance in the club's famous white shirt since completing his world-record move from Tottenham at the end of the transfer window.

But the 24-year-old did not feature in Wales' 2-1 defeat in Macedonia on Friday after picking up a groin strain, and underwent a scan on Monday.

He was later able to take a full part in Wales' training session ahead of Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Serbia, but a final decision over his fitness will only be made on the night.

If Bale plays no part in Cardiff, his previous match action will have been back in mid-July. And Coleman does not believe Bale can start at El Madrigal on Saturday given his lack of training and game time.

Coleman said: "To have four sessions and then play a game like we have got is tough. La Liga is a different tempo to the Premier League, but I'd be surprised if he starts.

"I understand they've got a problem with Cristiano Ronaldo, but it's a big, big ask to do four training sessions [and then play]. "He is a super athlete, he's not got an ounce of fat on him, but even for him, if you see him in the sessions with us - and we're not full pelt - he's not quite there.

"He's only had four sessions and one of them was by himself with our physio last month, before the Republic of Ireland game. But it will be up to him. If he says he can play a part, he'll be on the pitch no doubt."

Coleman added: "Physically, it's a big gamble. Especially if he plays some part for us and then he has to travel back." But Coleman will not hesitate to use Bale himself, provided he is fit enough to face Serbia.

He said: "If Gareth says to me he can play a part then he is coming on to the pitch. There is no way that he is not coming on to the pitch. "I would have used him in the previous game, if he had said to me he was ready before the game.

"If he had said to me he could play 20 minutes, then I would have put him on for 30, I would have pushed him a little. "But I can't do that if he says to me he isn't ready. If there is any chance he can play for a second - it only takes a player a second to change your life - he will be on the pitch.

"I can't start him, he's not ready. He's had four training sessions in eight weeks. I don't care how good anyone is. If you want to take a risk starting a player you're asking for trouble.

"And he's not our player, don't forget. He belongs to Real Madrid. We are mindful of that. I have to take Gareth's word. He always turns up for Wales - if he didn't want to be here then he wouldn't be here. God knows he's got excuses not to be."

 

[Barcelona]

Ibrahimovic: Nobody is worth the £86m Real paid for Bale - and that includes me!

By ADAM SHERGOLD
PUBLISHED: 11:10 GMT, 11 September 2013 | UPDATED: 11:42 GMT, 11 September 2013
​

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes that no footballer is worth the £86million Real Madrid have just paid for Gareth Bale - not even himself.The opinionated Paris Saint-Germain and Sweden striker said he feared for the former Tottenham man as the Bernabeu crowd can be unforgiving if victories and trophies aren't being delivered. In an interview with BBC's Football Focus, Ibrahimovic said: 'I think nobody is worth paying that amount of money for. What is crazy in this kind of situation is the media and the club - the club are desperate to buy big names.

How much? Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes that no player is worth the world record £86m Real Madrid paid for Gareth Bale (below)

'There is a lot of pressure on him. I know that Zidane played for Real Madrid and they [the fans] whistled against him. Zidane is one of the best players in history.'I hope that Bale has a lot of patience.' Ibrahimovic moved from Inter Milan to Barcelona in a deal worth £58million in 2009 yet returned to Italy just two years later. Despite going on to establish himself at PSG as one of the best players in the world, he includes himself in his belief that nobody is worth that kind of money. Ibrahimovic also talks fondly about Jose Mourinho, his manager for a season at Inter. 'He dragged out of me things that no other coach has done before,' he said. 'When I was playing, I was feeling so determined and so confident under him. 'The way he makes you feel, when I came out I was so confident in my game, we won the competition and I won the top scorer.'The way he was, the personality he had, it was all clicking. There was no question about arguing with him, everything was flowing in a positive way. 'I felt much better as a football player in my mind and also in the way I was playing.'

Weight of expectation: Ibrahimovic scored 29 goals for Barcelona in two seasons after a £58m move from Inter Milan

Praise: Ibrahimovic said Jose Mourinho got the best out of him at Inter Milan


​

 

[Barcelona]

Ozil's father threatens legal action in sensational rant at Real Madrid

By Ewan Roberts304
Sep 12, 2013 9:43:00 AM

Mustafa Ozil has denied accusations that his son was "obsessed with women and nightlife" during his time in the Spanish capital, saying the 24-year-old has been scapegoated

Mesut Ozil's father, Mustafa, has threatened legal action after claims in the Spanish press suggested the Germany international was distracted by off-field activities while at Real Madrid.

Earlier this week, ABC, a Spanish newspaper with ties to the Spanish club's president, Florentino Perez, reported that the Blancos chief believed Ozil "wasn't a good professional and was obsessed with women and nightlife".

But the Germany international's father has hit back at those allegations and says the discontent which has greeted the 24-year-old's sale has seen Perez turn the new Arsenal signing into a scapegoat.

"Just because a man earns a lot of money, doesn't mean he's a man of honour," Ozil's father is quoted as saying in Bild. "And Perez is no man of honour.

"Mesut is supposed to be the scapegoat now and I'm the greedy father. A put-up game. We will defend ourselves legally.

"If Mesut had an unprofessional life in Madrid, then why did he always play? They want to blame him now, because the fans and team-mates are angry."

Ozil, who scored or assisted 108 goals in 159 appearances for Madrid, secured a stunning deadline-day move to Arsenal for a fee of €50 million, much to the surprise of many of his former team-mates.

 

[Cristiano Ronaldo]

La Liga, Week 4 preview and fixtures: Back to the weekly grind

By Zach Woosley @GingeFC on Sep 13 2013, 4:00p +

Club football is back after the international break and a few of La Liga's teams look a little different after deadline day.

After the long, cold darkness of the second international break of the young season it's time to get back to the business of club football. La Liga returns this week with the focus likely to be on one particular new face at Real Madrid and a severe lack of "big" games on the schedule.

Let us take a look at the five games worth watching this week in Spain -- it might be a stretch to get five honestly -- along with the rest of the schedule of matches that runs from Saturday through Monday.

Villarreal vs. Real Madrid | Saturday - 4:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 p.m. CEST

The undisputed king of games this week in La Liga for a couple reasons. First, we'll likely see the debut of Madrid's newest signing Gareth Bale and get out first look at how Carlo Ancelotti deploys his new weapon. The expectation is for the 4-2-3-1 to stick with Cristiano Ronaldo, Isco and Gareth Bale playing behind Karim Benzema from right to left across the midfield. It's probably also a blessing that Bale's debut is on the road since playing in the Santiago Bernabéu for the first time will be a nervy experience.

The other reason to pay attention is this is Villarreal's first true test of the season. After three games against teams in the bottom half of the table, the third place side in the league -- and one of four teams with a perfect record -- will have a chance to send a message.

Barcelona vs. Sevilla | Saturday - 2:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. CEST

The Blaugrana made no deadline day moves so there's nothing new to see from Gerardo Martino's team who currently sit in first place. Considering Sevilla's struggles early in the season there's a good chance the scoreline in this one could get ugly, but it would be a tremendous opportunity for Unai Emery's men to turn things around before people start throwing out the crisis word. Barcelona should have both Dani Alves and Sergio Busquets available after both missed international duty with minor injuries.

Athletic Bilbao vs. Celta Vigo | Monday - 4:00 p.m. ET, 10:00 p.m. CEST

If this seems like an odd pick, just look at the table. Both Athletic Club and Celta have made strong starts to the season as they sit in fifth and seventh place respectively. It's tough to see either of these clubs maintaing these early season heights all year but anything is possible of course. This game should give us a good idea of where they both stand and could end up being important points later in the season if they either can stay in the European race.

Getafe vs. Osasuna | Sunday - 11:00 a.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. CEST

Don't immediately scoff at the idea of a match between the 19th and 20th placed teams in La Liga being mentioned among the most interesting matches of the week. Sure it's only the fourth week but both of these teams are struggling big time and one, Osasuna, has already sacked a manager. This will be the debut of their new boss Javi Gracia who led Almeria to promotion and then turned down a new contract offer with the club.

Atletico Madrid vs. Almeria | Saturday - 10:00 a.m. ET, 4:00 p.m. CEST

The interesting thing about this match is simply the fact that it's a game that Atletico should, and must, win if they hope to keep pace with Barca and Madrid. Unless you're a die hard supporter of the Spain's big two, you probably want a three team race for the title and Atletico have to avoid slipping up in matches like this during the season.

Here's the rest of the week's schedule:

Levante vs. Real Sociedad | Saturday - 12:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. CEST

Granada vs. Espanyol | Sunday - 6:00 a.m. ET, 12:00 p.m. CEST

Malaga vs. Rayo Vallecano | Sunday - 1:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. CEST

Real Betis vs. Valencia | Sunday - 3:00 p.m. ET, 9:00 p.m. CEST

Elche vs. Real Valladolid | Monday - 2:00 p.m. ET, 8:00 p.m. CEST

 

[Cristiano Ronaldo]

La Liga preview: Gareth Bale set for Real Madrid debut

Friday 13 Sep 2013 6:49a.m.

Gareth Bale (Reuters file)

By Joseph Wilson

Gareth Bale is set to make his debut for Real Madrid following his world-record transfer when the Spanish club visits Villarreal.

The match at El Madrigal Stadium comes three days before Madrid travels to Turkey to play Galatasaray in its Champions League opener.

Bale practiced for the first time with Madrid on Wednesday, the day after making his first official appearance this season as a substitute for Wales in a 3-0 loss to Serbia.

Madrid said forward Cristiano Ronaldo was the first to greet Bale on his arrival to the club's training facilities.

Bale will likely still need time to get fully fit after not playing during the drawn-out negotiations with Tottenham that ended in Madrid breaking its own transfer record for Ronaldo with a 100 million euro ($132 million) payout for the Wales winger.

Madrid has won its first three games of the Spanish league season, but it faces a Villarreal which has also made a perfect start in its return to the topflight after one season in the second division.

"This is a chance to show that we can compete with anyone and fight with a team like Madrid," Villarreal captain Bruno Soriano said. "Last season we dreamed of playing against teams like this. Now our chance has arrived and we want to play a great match."

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti will still be without injured midfielder Xabi Alonso and will now also be missing defender Marcelo after he picked up an injury with Brazil. Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi could also make his debut after recovering from injury.

AP
Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad also play on Saturday to warm up for their Champions League openers.

Barcelona hosts a Sevilla side looking for its first win of the season.

"Playing against Sevilla is always special for me," said defender Adriano, who joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2010. "(Coach Unai) Emery's teams always give us a hard time, home or away. This time will be no different."

Lionel Messi has scored a league-leading five goals in two appearances to have the Catalan club in first place on goal difference. He also scored two more goals for Argentina in the past week.

Barcelona hosts Ajax on Wednesday in the Champions League.

"(Camp Nou) is one of the toughest grounds to visit in the league, but we are going there with hope that we take away a positive result," Sevilla midfielder Jairo Samperio said. "We can't try to fight them for possession of the ball. We have to be well positioned in defence and look to hit on the break, that's their weak spot."

Atletico hosts a frisky Almeria side looking for its fourth win in as many rounds. It then welcomes Zenit St. Petersburg in its return to the Champions League on Wednesday.

Sociedad, meanwhile, visits Levante before the Basque club plays Shakhtar Donetsk in Europe's top tier club competition on Tuesday.

On Sunday, it's: Granada vs. Espanyol; Getafe vs. Osasuna; Malaga vs. Rayo Vallecano; and Real Betis vs. Valencia.

Athletic Bilbao inaugurates its new San Mames Stadium against Celta Vigo on Monday, while Valladolid plays at Elche.

 

[Barcelona]

Ancelotti: Ozil was not forced out

By Alex Moretto73
Sep 14, 2013 12:26:00 AM

The German suggested he was compelled to leave Real Madrid for Arsenal due to the club's lack of faith in him, but the Italian has dismissed such claims

Carlo Ancelotti has hit back at Mesut Ozil's suggestions that he was forced out of Real Madrid.

The Germany star joined Arsenal on transfer deadline day in a €50 million deal after Gareth Bale joined los Blancos from Tottenham, and claimed the Liga giants had shown "a lack of confidence and trust" in his abilities which prompted his exit from the club.

Ancelotti, however, insists this was never the case, claiming that the 24-year-old has simply become concerned by the increased competition for places following the summer signings of Bale and Isco.

"I heard many talk about what Ozil has said, and I want to tell my side," the Italian told reporters.

"He says we had little confidence, but Ozil played two of the first three games of the season.

"No player is leaving if they do not want to. With new competition for his starting spot, he thought he had a lot to do and asked to leave."

Ancelotti went on to stress he had no problems with the player for leaving the club, pointing to Madrid's strength in depth as proof that the player will not be missed.

"Considering we have many players in his position, from a tactical standpoint, we had no problem with him leaving," he said.

"The club received a good deal for the player, and everyone is happy now."

 

[Barcelona]

The Sweeper: Bale agents bag stunning €12m from Real Madrid

By Wayne Veysey17
Sep 15, 2013 10:53:00 AM

The management group that secured the Welshman's €100 million move to the Spanish capital have themselves earned a staggering nine-figure sum through his signing-on fee and salary

£10 MILLION PAY OFF FOR INFLUENTIAL BALE AGENTS

Gareth Bale joined a small elite of mega-rich sportsmen when he completed his world-record €100 million transfer to Real Madrid earlier this month.

But a sizeable portion of the 24-year-old’s monstrous €358,000-a-week wages will go to the management firm who made the deal happen.

The Sweeper has learned that the Stellar Group earned €12m from the move as part of the contract the company signed with Real Madrid back in May to facilitate the transfer.

It is understood that the two parties negotiated a ‘duality agreement’, a typical contract in marquee transfers, with the buying club paying roughly half of the agents’ costs and the player himself the remaining 50 per cent out through his signing-on fee and salary.

Having signed a six-year contract worth €111m over the entirety of the agreement, Bale will have to hand over around five per cent to Stellar Group, who have offices in Britain, Africa and South America and represent 500 sportsmen and women from across the globe.

The principal negotiators in the deal were Stellar chairman Jonathan Barnett and David Manasseh, who has been Bale’s agent since he was 16.

Another Stellar employee who is almost a permanent fixture at Bale’s side is his minder and fixer Joshua Barnett, son of Jonathan, who has also moved to Madrid on a permanent basis, where he will live close to the player, his girlfriend Emma and daughter Alba Violet.

The timing of the deal, which Barnett senior, 63, claimed “was the most rewarding one I have had the pleasure of negotiating” is particularly welcome for Stellar, who are known to spare no expenses when it comes to doing business, with a private jet on stand-by for their blue-chip clients.

 

[Barcelona]

La Liga Wrap: Bale scores on debut but Real held
15 September 2013

A debut goal from Gareth Bale was not enough for a Real Madrid victory as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Villarreal in La Liga on Saturday.

The Welshman made his first competitive start for the club since his world record move from Tottenham, and he began repaying his huge fee by cancelling out Cani's opener at El Madrigal just before half-time.

Cristiano Ronaldo refused to be overshadowed as he put Real ahead with a breakaway goal after 64 minutes, but their lead was short-lived as another former Spurs man, Giovani dos Santos, equalised just nine minutes later.

Real's first failure to earn the full three points this season saw them slip to fourth spot, behind third-placed Villarreal on goal difference - while Atletico Madrid and Barcelona both made it four wins from as many matches.

A stoppage-time goal from Alexis Sanchez earned Barcelona a dramatic 3-2 win over a gallant Sevilla at Camp Nou.

In a rollercoaster encounter, the Chilean forward proved the difference as he struck the winner deep into injury time to seal the points for the Catalan giants after Unai Emery's men had almost completed a superb comeback.

Gerardo Martino's side had dictated the match for long spells and took the lead nine minutes before half-time when Dani Alves nodded Sergio Busquets' cross in, before Lionel Messi doubled the lead in the second half.

Two goals in the last 10 minutes threatened to give Sevilla reward for their persistence, as Ivan Rakitic and Coke struck, but just as he did before the international break, Messi helped inspire his side to victory again as he laid on a sublime assist for Sanchez to spare Barca's blushes.

Atletico Madrid have an identical record to Barca at the top of the table - level on 12 points, 14 goals for and four against - after a 4-2 home win over Almeria.

Things were far less dramatic for Atletico, though, as they shot out to a two-goal lead on the back of a David Villa opener and a Diego Costa penalty.

Rodri pulled one back for the visitors prior to half-time at the Estadio Vicente Calderon, but quick-fire goals to Tiago (64th minute) and Raul Garcia (67th) put the result to bed.

A late consolation to Aleix Vidal gave Almeria something to smile about, but they left Madrid with just two points from four games.

Levante failed to chalk up consecutive wins as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Real Sociedad, with both sides left on five points through four matches.

 

[Barcelona]

La Liga Wrap: Malaga and Betis win comfortably
16 September 2013

Malaga and Real Betis picked up their first wins of the season in La Liga, tormenting Rayo Vallecano and Valencia respectively.

Bernd Schuster's Malaga suffered defeats to Barcelona and Valencia and drew against Sevilla before the international break, but ended their barren run impressively on Sunday as Mounir El Hamdaoui marked his first start for the club by scoring three in a 5-0 win.

Rayo were the visitors to La Rosaleda and, although Paco Jemez's team actually started quite well, they found themselves two goals down at half-time.

El Hamdaoui opened the scoring with a controlled volley from Vitorino Antunes' left-wing cross and the Moroccan then turned provider, squaring the ball for Francisco Portillo to tap in.

It was 3-0 to the hosts four minutes after the break as Eliseu cut in from the left and curled a marvellous shot into the far corner, while El Hamdaoui got his second just after the hour mark when he capped off an intricate passing move.

With 23 minutes remaining El Hamdaoui wrapped up the win and his hat-trick, jolting past a defender on the left side of the area and firing low past the helpless Ruben.

Betis' first three matches also included two defeats - at the hands of Real Madrid and Celta Vigo - but they too triumphed in comfortable fashion on Sunday.

Jorge Molina broke the deadlock with a low shot from Salva Sevilla's pass in the ninth minute. Molina then returned the favour to Sevilla, flicking a pass into the area for the midfielder to finish a well-worked move.

Sevilla scored his second of the match before half-time following Alvaro Vadillo's cutback, thus equalling his tally of two for all of last season.

A Ricardo Costa header found the net in the second half, but Valencia could not prevent Betis running out comfortable 3-1 winners.

At the foot of the table Osasuna's woes continued with a fourth consecutive loss. After a poor start to the season the club made the surprising decision to sack coach Jose Luis Mendilibar three matches in, but his replacement Javi Gracia was unable to inspire an immediate turnaround in fortunes against Getafe.

The Pamplona-based club did take the lead in Madrid as Roberto Torres scored in the 11th minute, but Miku hit back with goals either side of half-time to give Getafe a 2-1 win, their first in the league this season.

The day's earliest match saw Espanyol pick up a slender 1-0 win at Granada. The game's solitary goal came in the final 15 minutes as Manu Lanzarote delicately found the top corner with a free-kick inside the hosts' penalty area following a handled backpass.

Granada substitute Odion Ighalo received two yellow cards within a few seconds of each other late on, both for arguing with the referee.

 

[Barcelona]

La Liga Wrap: Bilbao hold off Celta
17 September 2013

Athletic Bilbao bounced back from last week's loss to Real Madrid with a 3-2 home win over Celta de Vigo in La Liga.

The victory was the Basque club's third of the season with last Saturday's 3-1 defeat to the Spanish capital giants their only blemish so far.

It was a nightmare start for Bilbao with a strong penalty claim denied before defender Erik Moran carelessly gave the ball away in central midfield in the 14th minute, allowing Celta de Vigo attackers Rafinha and Charles to pounce and link up, with the latter finishing clinically.

Celta went to sleep only four minutes later, however, with Bilbao delivering the ball in a deep from a set piece and after the defenders failed to clear, Mikel San Jose smashed home the equaliser.

The visitors had a golden opportunity to retake the lead on 26 minutes but Charles blazed his penalty over the crossbar, after Bilbao goalkeeper Iago Herrerin brought down Nolito in the area.

They were made to pay 15 minutes into the second-half as a lovely backheel by Iker Munian found Andoni Iraola in space and the full-back placed his finish past the keeper to put Bilbao into the lead.

Bilbao extended their advantage a few minutes later as San Jose's long-ball put Benat Extebarria through on goal and with the composure to probe in and cut inside, the central midfielder curled his finish into the opposite corner from eight yards.

Celta did manage to make the last ten minutes interesting through substitute Santi Mina's header but they could not find an equaliser as they recorded their first loss of the campaign.

Bilbao move up into fifth position, three points behind joint-leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, while Celta drop to ninth-place.

In Monday's other clash, Elche and Real Valladolid fought out a 0-0 draw that keeps both in the bottom half of the standings.

 

[Barcelona]

Mascherano calls for improvement
The Argentina international believes the Blaugrana were fortunate to overcome Sevilla on Saturday and has urged the Liga champions to cut out their defensive errors

Simeone: Almeria were dangerous
Los Rojiblancos boss praised his side's approach to the game and ability to land a killer blow when required as they maintained their 100% record at Almeria's expense

Marcelino: We deserved to beat RM
The former midfielder was delighted with his side's efforts on Saturday and believes they could have taken all three points but for an inspired performance from Diego Lopez

Nacho: Lopez is showing his class
The Real Madrid youngster has hailed his team-mate's contribution so far this season after his exceptional display in the 2-2 draw with Villarreal

Lopez: We must support Casillas
The 31-year-old insists the club captain must be given full backing against Galatasaray in midweek after he was once more left on the bench against Villarreal on Saturday

Ronaldo signs Madrid extension
The Portuguese sensation is thought to have agreed a deal to become the highest-paid playe

 

[Barcelona]

Ancelotti confirms Casillas start
The Blancos coach is set to pick Spain star in his Champions League starting XI against the Turkish giants

Caniggia: Maradona better than Messi
The former Argentina striker believes the legendary 52-year-old made Napoli win titles on hsi own and feels he was "cheated" at the 1994 World Cup

La Liga: Betis stun Valencia
The Seville outfit recovered from their poor start to the season to beat Los Che 3-0 as Malaga thrashed Rayo Vallecano

Bale showed how good he is - Illarra
The world's most expensive player made a goalscoring start to life at his new club and one of his new team-mates was left impressed by his early promise

Barca defeat 'a stitch up' - Navarro
The left-back bemoaned his side's luck as another last-gasp Blaugrana strike evoked painful memories of last season

 

[Barcelona]

Cristiano Ronaldo was mediocre at Neymar's age, says agent

By Stefan Coerts630
Sep 16, 2013 12:17:00 PM

The former Santos star's representative has responded to the Portuguese attacker's agent's dig at the Barca forward

Neymar's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, believes that the Barcelona star is on another level than Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo was at the age of 21.

The Portugal international's representative, Jorge Mendes, stated at the weekend that "there is no way Neymar is as good as Ronaldo", yet the Brazilian's agent has a rather different point of view about the supposed gulf in class between both attackers.

"Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo were born on the same day, February 5," Ribeiro wrote on his official Twitter account.

"But at Neymar's age, Cristiano Ronaldo was a mediocre player.

"Right now, he only surpasses Neymar when it comes to his weight."

Neymar joined Barcelona from Santos earlier this year after lifting the Copa Libertadores with his club in 2011 and winning the Confederations Cup with Brazil this summer.

Cristiano Ronaldo was under contract with Manchester United at the age of 21 after leaving Sporting Lisbon in 2003.

 

[Barcelona]

Ronaldo: Manchester is my past, Madrid is my home

By Craig Turnbull424
Sep 15, 2013 1:54:00 PM

The Portuguese star, who has been persistently linked with a return to Old Trafford, signed a three-year extension to his deal on Sunday

Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo has ended any speculation that he could be on his way back to Manchester United by signing a new three-year extension to his contract which will keep him at the club until 2018.

Goal exclusively revealed back in June that los Blancos planned to renew Ronaldo's deal following the successful completion of signing Gareth Bale from Tottenham this summer.

Ronaldo, who has scored 203 goals in as many games since his €94 million move from Old Trafford in 2009, insists he has no intention of leaving the Santiago Bernabeu.

"I will be honest with you. Everyone knows I was in Manchester for six years, they gave me many things, and I don't forget that," he told reporters.

"But Manchester is the past, now it's Madrid. This is my home, my family's here, I'm really happy here.

"I respect the clubs who knocked on the door to ask about me, but they always knew my only goal was to be here and to play at this club, maybe until the end of my career.

"Nobody knows the future, but I'm going to be here for five more years and I just want to win trophies for this club. I try to do my best, like always."

Ronaldo's future at the club was in doubt when the forward publicly revealed he was "sad" and rumours suggested that he was not happy with the support he was receiving from the club.

The 28-year-old says it is all forgotten about now and he is targeting another 200 goals for Madrid in the next five years.

"We have our good and bad days. That day [last season after Granada game] I was a bit sad, something that can happen more times during the season," he added.

"It's normal and human. Probably I shouldn't have said that in public, but I'm human and I make my own mistakes. It's in the past though. I feel good now and I want to stay in this club for many years.

"I'm an ambitious person and I don't want to set any limit. I'm going to try to score 200 more goals in the next four or five years here. It's not the most important thing, but I'm going to try it.

"Leaving Real Madrid was something I could think about. I wanted to stay at this club, the best in the world in my opinion. If you leave Real Madrid, there is not another destination, because you are already on the top."

The new deal, which will reportedly see Ronaldo become the highest paid player in La Liga with a net salary of €17m, was already being negotiated at the end of last season, the Portuguese star revealed and he insists it is not about the money.

"We have an agreement since the end of the last season, but we've made it concrete now," he added.

"The president gave me his word and I gave him mine. This is something I always wanted. The feeling I had was to stay at this club and it didn't took long to make the decision, at least for me.

"Being the best paid in the world was not the main thing. There are many things more important that just money. I'm not going to lie to you: it's important, but not the priority. There is a winning project, being at the best team in the world, the one that signs the best players.

"This club has enough size to win more Champions Leagues, more Ligas, more Copas... Money was not a big deal. Being the first one, the second one or the third one is not important, because I feel great."

 

[Barcelona]

How Cristiano Ronaldo landed record-breaking €105m contract

Sep 16, 2013 4:16:00 PM

The Portugal international is to be paid a basic weekly salary of €403,000 after signing a five-year contract on Sunday, making him the best paid player in the history of football

SPECIAL REPORT
By Duncan Castles

Cristiano Ronaldo's new Real Madrid contract makes him not only the best paid footballer on the planet, but also the best paid individual in the history of the sport.

Under the terms of the five-year deal announced by the Liga club yesterday, the Portugal international is to be paid a basic salary of €21 million net. Ronaldo will earn performance bonuses and substantial image right payments on top.

The figures, which precisely double the then-unprecedented wage Ronaldo agreed upon joining Madrid in 2009, equate to a weekly basic of €403,000, underlining the scale of the forward's sporting and commercial prowess.

Ronaldo's improved salary nets at €1m a year more than the after-tax sum Samuel Eto'o was paid at Anzhi Makhachkala before the Russian club's billionaire owner dispensed with the African's services last month.

Payable for five seasons, the total value of Ronaldo's contract also far exceeds that of Eto'o's former three-year contract. A number of elements contributed to Jorge Mendes' success in negotiating such a deal.

First, the player's agent had calculated that Ronaldo would be able to achieve a signing-on fee of between €50m and €70m had he elected to run down the final two seasons of his existing contract and leave the Santiago Bernabeu as a free agent.

Having assessed the 28-year-old's potential commercial value to the club, Manchester United were positioned alongside Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco as potential future employers.

Second, Florentino Perez did not want to risk the political fallout of allowing an individual who has scored 203 goals in 203 Madrid appearances for Madrid to leave the club during a summer in which the Madrid president had seen Neymar join Barcelona despite budgeting €100m to recruit the young Brazilian.

And Perez knew the sheer financial value of Ronaldo to an organisation that has just announced record revenues of €520.9m for 2012-13.

With 21.3 million followers on Twitter and 60.4m Facebook fans, Madrid's most famous player, Ronaldo's social media reach exceeds that of his employer by more than 60 percent.

Madrid are said to have sold over a million Ronaldo replica shirts in his first year there alone.

Madrid have, however, attempted to underplay the value of their principal asset's new contract, leaking a reduced figure to the local press.

The tactic echoes their handling of Gareth Bale's global-record transfer from Tottenham, a €100m transaction that Madrid sought to have reported as €91m.

 

[Barcelona]

Barcelona set to join Real as the only clubs to break half a billion euros in revenue

By BRADEN PHILIPS PUBLISHED: 12:55 GMT, 17 September 2013 | UPDATED: 12:55 GMT, 17 September 2013

Barcelona’s revenue is projected to rise to 509million euros (£427million) this season, the Spanish champions said on Tuesday, making the club only the second to cross the half-billion threshold after arch rivals Real Madrid. Income for the 2013-14 campaign will be boosted by extra cash from sponsorship deals, as well as the sale of Spain midfielder Thiago Alcantara to Bayern Munich, Toni Freixa, a spokesman for the Barca board of directors, told a news conference. The club were targeting a post-tax profit of over 36millions euros (£30million), he added.

Money matters: Barcelona insist they still have to continue a policy of austerity despite breaking half a billion euros in revenue

Splash the cash: Real Madrid are the world's richest club meaning they can afford players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale

'This is not a message of triumph, since it is still difficult to manage the club and we have to continue the policy of austerity,' Freixa said. Real and Barca are soccer’s richest clubs by income, according to the latest ranking by accounting firm Deloitte published in January.

Nice little earner: Barcelona boosted their coffers with the sale of Thiago Alcantara (left) to Bayern Munich

Real earned more than 500 million euros for a second consecutive season in 2012-13, with revenue rising 1.3 percent to 520.9 million (£437million) , the club said this month. They made a net profit of 36.9 million euros (£31million), up from 24.2 million the previous campaign. Freixa added that the construction of a new Nou Camp stadium or the renovation of the existing arena was under review.

​

 

[Barcelona]

Ronaldo isn't the only star in the family... Madrid man's sister releases pop single

By JOHN DRAYTON PUBLISHED: 15:01 GMT, 16 September 2013 | UPDATED: 11:32 GMT, 17 September 2013
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Cristiano Ronaldo may have just put pen to paper on a world record £288,000-a-week post-tax contract but he isn't the only one in his family making waves. His singing sister Katia Aveiro will be releasing a single on September 18 called Boom Sem Parar (Nonstop Boom in English).

Talented: Cristiano Ronaldo isn't the only Katia Aveiro is a star in her own right

All together now: Ronaldo with his sister Katia (right)

This will be her debut single and she posed for some promotional shots on Monday as you can see here.

Aveiro said: 'It's been an honor for me to be able to work with such well-known and talented professionals from the record world. I'm sure that the fans and the media all over the world are going to give the single a great welcome and send it to the top.'

She added: 'This is the start of my international career!'

New deal: Ronaldo now takes home an eye-watering £288,000-per-week
​