Saturday, July 31, 2010

WTF!: Rodrigo Moreno Signs For Benfica

Rodrigo Moreno: Star of the quarry
Rodrigo Moreno signed with Real Madrid's academy last season from Celta Vigo and had been quite a revelation in Madrid since, being promoted from Real Madrid C to the Castilla in a matter of months.

The 19 year old right sided winger was born in Rio de Janerio but had taken up Spanish nationality. He just featured with the Spanish U-19 team and was their star performer in the recently concluded U-19 European Championship.

According to the Portuguese newspaper's ("A Bola") website, Rodrigo Moreno has been sold by Real Madrid for a mere €6 million, Rodrigo will sign a 5 year contract with Benfica.

If the news of him leaving Real Madrid wasn't bad enough, adding insult to injury is the clause in his contract which will enable Real Madrid to buy him back for €12 million.

Rodrigo will be presented as a Benfica player on Tuesday at Estadio da Luz during the match against Tottenham Hotspur in the Eusebio Cup.

The transfer makes very little sense for Real Madrid.......no wait......the clause makes a lot of sense, because after one good season with Benfica Rodrigo's value will shoot up to €25-35 million and Real Madrid will get him back for ONLY €12 million, isn't that just really awesome?!

Source: A Bola

Official: Sami Khedira Signs For Real Madrid

Xabi Alonso has a new partner in midfield. Terms of the transfer of Sami Khedira have been agreed with Vfb Stuttgart, but the terms of the transfer haven't been disclosed. The newspapers are speculating the transfer to be around €12-15 million.

Sami Khedira will undergo his medical at 12:00 CET on 31 July, then he will head off to Los Angeles to join the team on their USA Pre-Season tour.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Does Maicon's Signing Make Any Sense To You?

Get a room!
The newspapers all around the world have been filled with "Real Madrid's interest in Maicon," "Maicon's dream of joining Real Madrid," and "Jose Mourinho's desire to be reunited with Maicon!"

What I don't understand is, WHY? Why Maicon, when the biggest priority was the left-back position?!

I've rattled my head around the transfer and Maicon and I haven't come close to convince myself that Maicon's signing would be useful to Real Madrid, so I just thought to pour my mind out and ask around for answers.

The only worthwhile explanation for Maicon's signing that I could think of was that Jose Mourinho wants to play Sergio Ramos in the center. Well, Sergio Ramos was originally purchased to replace Hierro in the center of defense. Sergio Ramos would be amazing in the center, he's the perfect combination of speed and strength and is brilliant aerially, he can be the best central defender if he chooses to play in the center.

But if Sergio Ramos plays central, either Pepe or Raul Albiol will lose their place in the starting 11. Most probably it'll be Albiol who'll end up losing his place because Pepe will get preference as he has already worked with Jose Mourinho in Porto.
  
Benching Raul Albiol would be one of the harshest thing to do, it'll be like benching Gonzalo Higuain! Albiol was one of the most consistent performers for Real Madrid and was constantly improving aerially as the season progressed.

And to be really honest the defense did quite well last season, despite people questioning Real Madrid's policy of buying only offensive players (and simultaneously forgetting that Garay, Albiol and Arbeloa were the new defenders who joined last season.). And changing a system which is already working fine, seems to make very little sense.

If you think that all the above points have weak points and can be countered, I'll present to you a reason which when read with the above reasons makes them even stronger, and that is: "The Price-Tag."

Maicon is 29 years old and has been priced at €30 million by Internazionale, and that is a reason alone to stay away from him, his signing is also directly against Real Madrid's new policy of staying away from players who's clubs demand exorbitant sums of money.

Maicon's a good defender, no doubt, but he can't play left-back, is old (comparatively) and at €30 million he's too expensive. Signing Maicon is a luxury not a necessity. If you think otherwise, let me know!

Hala Madrid!

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Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Official: Marcos Alonso Completes Bolton Switch

Source: bwfc.co.uk
Bolton Wanderes have completed the transfer of one of the stars of the academy and they know it.

Owen Coyle seems to be pretty pleased with himself after completing young Marcos's transfer, Coyle said,"I have said before that when we are investing money in transfers that I want to do it with young, talented players. He isn't the finished article yet - he's a young player making his way - but you don't get through at Real Madrid without having a bit about you."

The confidence that Owen Coyle has in Marcos Alonso means that Marcos Alonso will get a lot of playing time in the first division of English football.

The English media had made quite an issue about Marcos Alonso's transfer by saying that Marcos Alonso didn't feel happy that he was being used as currency for the Angel Di Maria deal, for those who bought that, let me tell you that this is just typical English media bull-s**t.

The reason for me saying that is Real Madrid ALWAYS wanted to send him with a buy-back clause which all of you have been familiar with, and secondly Marcos Alonso is trusted by everyone in the club, and that is the reason why he got his debut last season with the first team, so there is no such case of "Real Madrid using him as currency."

I have already expressed my thoughts about Marcos Alonso's transfer to Bolton, you can read them here. Hala Madrid!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Farewell Raul & Guti, We'll Miss You

Raul & Guti, whenever you hear those two names, only one thing comes in your mind and that is Real Madrid. But now both of them are leaving, one for Schalke 04 in Germany and the other for Besiktas in Turkey.

Never had I imagined in my life that Real Madrid would have to say goodbye to these two in such a way, I always thought both of them would retire at Real Madrid. It's not just 2 players leaving, it's the end of an era.

I never believed any of the media sources completely when they said Raul & Guti will be leaving so I didn't have time to prepare for this, this is all so emotional.

I don't think I need to write about what type of players they are because everyone knows it, this is just a thank you for all the years they gave to Real Madrid, a thank you for all the memories.

I wish Raul & Guti best of luck for the rest of their careers may they win their respective league titles and may Raul score a lot more Champions League goals with Schalke so he can cement his name forever as the top-scorer of the Champions League. Once again Raul & Guti, gracias!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Video Of The Day: A Cockatoo Nymph Singing Himno Del Real Madrid

It's not really perfect, but it's good enough. It would be cooler if the bird was wearing a Real Madrid scarf of some sort but what the heck, that bird is adorable!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Official: Pablo Sarabia Renews With Real Madrid Till 2012-13

Real Madrid have tied one of the best player in their academy with a contract extension till the 2012-13 season. Many European clubs have also shown their interest in signing the young left sided winger in the summer but the latest inductee of the Spanish U-19 National Team prefers to continue at Real Madrid.

Pablo Sarabia returned to the Castilla squad today and even featured in the first half of the practice game against the first team, along with Juan Carlos (top scorer of Castilla last season) on the right wing, he was the most potent threat that Castilla possessed in the first half. Real Madrid's first team won the match 1-0 courtsey of Sarabia's team-mate Alvaro Morata.

Source: realmadrid.com

Marcos Alonso's Transfer To Bolton Can Be A Good Thing

As the days of the transfer window have rolled on, more and more players from Real Madrid's academy have been linked with a move away from Real Madrid. Rodrigo, Sarabia, Alipio, Marcos Alonso, Opare and Mosquera have all been linked with many clubs.

Out of these Mosquera has already signed with Getafe and Opare has joined Standard Liege and if you believe Marca, Marcos Alonso will follow suite and will sign a 3 year contract (option to repurchase in the 2 & 3 season) with Bolton in a couple of days.

Now Marcos Alonso is one of the pearls of the academy, so I don't read the transfer as "sale" but much more as a "loan" deal, and unlike a certain Mr. Xavi Hernandez, I am correct in reading it as a loan deal because maximum of the players sold with buy-back clauses return to the club. And yes, that "loan" part was a pun at Xavi's comment: "Fabregas is on loan at Arsenal!"

There is always a risk that the managers are not willing to take at Real Madrid (for obvious reasons) in switching a player from Segunda B straight into the first team. So what better way to prep them up for Real Madrid than sending them to the first division clubs in Spain, England, Germany, Italy (none of the players from the academy have joined an Italian club in the last few years) and even Portugal?!

Marcos Alonso was linked with Benfica & Bolton, and I'm glad that Marcos Alonso and Real Madrid have chosen Bolton for him, the reason(s) for me saying that is:
  1. English League is way better than the Portuguese League, no offence.
  2. Marcos Alonso doesn't have a guarantee to start at Benfica but will start for Bolton, which means more playing time which in turn means more experience.
Call me an EPL fan or whatever but I just write what I see, the English League is much more physical than the Spanish League and it isn't only Physical like the Italian League, it is much faster, it is the perfect place for a young defender to get some experience. The EPL plus the guidance of Owen Coyle might just make Marcos Alonso even better.

Although it would have been nice to see Marcos Alonso in the Real Madrid first team this season, but seeing him at Real Madrid next season with much more experience of the first division isn't such a bad bargain. This transfer will be a blow to the Castilla but first team comes first.

What are your views about Marcos's transfer?

Hala Madrid!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Too Good To Be True? Ruben De La Red Back In Training

Yes it's Ruben in the training kit. :')
Yes, you are not mistaken, that is indeed Ruben De La Red wearing the new training kit of Real Madrid and no, that is not a one off event.

De La Red fainted and was stretchered off the field in the Copa del Ray clash against Real Union. It has now been an year and eight months since De La Red has participated in training or a match.

Ruben De La Red passed the regular medical tests which the whole team underwent before the pre-season training commenced, Ruben has been with the team since last Thursday.

Please don't start dreaming about the prospect of him and Xabi Alonso playing together yet because the club doctors have not yet given him a green light to train normally or play matches. Ruben is just doing some light physical excercises with the team to stay active. But at least it's better than nothing, I'm just happy to see him back.

Meanwhile Ruben De La Red hasn't been wasting any time and has already finished the 2A Level of the National Coaching Course, and will start the Third and final level on 26 November and will be done with it in 3 weeks and will get a diploma that will allow him to coach in any of the 53 countries that fall under UEFA.

I hope that Ruben De La Red doesn't have to start coaching for a good 10-15 years, and that he can finally return to play next season. Get well soon, we miss you Ruben! Hala Madrid!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Fantasy Football Season Is Upon Us

It is such a shame that the Liga BBVA official website doesn't have a Fantasy Football Game but lucky for us both Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League do.

I have been playing the Fantasy Premier League for 2 seasons now, this season I decided to make a Fantasy Football League by the name of the blog for the readers, who doesn't like a little competition?!

For those who are familiar with the Fantasy Premier League, I'll just paste the League Code, for you to join. The League Code is: 162497-82984.

But for those who are new to Fantasy Premier League, first register on this page (link) and start making your team of 15 players from the 20 teams in the Barclays Premier League, you will have a 100 million budget to make the team. The team should consist of 2 Goalkeepers, 5 Defenders, 5 Midfielders and 3 Forwards.

After you've made your team, you will see a lot of options on the left hand side, where you'll find a "Leagues" tab, go to the "Leagues" and you will be on a page where you can see your performances in the Leagues that you've joined, you will also find a tab "Create/Join," click on that and you will find an empty box for you to join Private Leagues, there you enter the code 162497-82984 to join the Paseo de la Castellana League.

If you still need help, leave a comment below and state what problem you're having.

I will also be making a league for the Champions League so you can buy Real Madrid's players for your teams, but that will take a while, as Fantasy Football hasn't begun on UEFA.com.

Best of luck and Hala Madrid!

We Need Another Striker: Pick Someone From The Academy Mr. Mourinho

I like to remind people how Mata too was from the academy!
I strongly believed Alvaro Negredo should have been bought back to replace Rudd Van Nistelrooy in the winter. Imagine what is going through my mind when the reports of Raul being linked to Schalke 04 are being circulated. And by the look of things, it seems that the captain has set his sights on Germany.

If the news of Raul moving away isn't bad enough, there aren't any strikers linked with Real Madrid to replace him. Of course Marca says, "Real Madrid are interested in signing Mario Gomez" but we all know that's a lie and it's just Marca being typical Marca—corrupt institution interested only in selling their papers.

It has been a very long summer, and never have we once heard about Alvaro Negredo and his buy-back clause, there should have at least been a "rumour" on Goal.com about it, but no, nothing, it seems that Real Madrid have forgotten about Negredo.

I had stressed about bench strength in the Pedro Leon post, I have a similar argument in bringing back Negredo, we will be left with only 2 strikers (Cristiano Ronaldo features as a winger in Jose Mourinho's plans) if Raul does join Felix Maggath & Cristoph Metzelder at Schalke.

Alvaro Negredo didn't have such a poor season at Sevilla to be forgotten completely, he started 25 games for Sevilla and came off the bench in 10, scored 11 goals and set up 5, those numbers are not shabby at all.

Alvaro Negredo was sold to Sevilla last season because he would have not got many opportunities at Real Madrid, but now the situation is now completely different, Negredo will get as much chances at Real Madrid as he would at Sevilla with Raul moving to Schalke.

And in the new system with wingers that Jose Mourinho wants to play with, Negredo might just be more useful, as he played in a similar system last season (not exactly similar as it was 4-4-2 mostly but the width was provided by wingers) with Sevilla, and linked up pretty well with either of the wingers but notably Jesus Navas.

Plus Alvaro Negredo will bring something different to the team with his strength, I still remember how Negredo manhandled Raul Albiol at the Sanchez Pizjuan and forced an incredible save (best piece of goalkeeping I have ever seen) from Casillas after he passed the ball to Perroti.

Although I strongly believe that Alvaro Negredo should come back, I wouldn't mind if some other striker from the academy is promoted instead.

Now I'm shady on the stats for the strikers but I know that Raul Ruiz and Cristian Lopez are the starting strikers for the Castilla, and also the fact that Cristian was almost always on the score-sheet at the end of the season. Samuel "Samu" Alonso Saiz, is another striker and one of the nomads of the academy and played for Juvenil A at the start of the season, Real Madrid C for some time and then Real Madrid Castilla at the end of the season, and is now permanently a part of the Castilla.

Samuel Alonso Saiz
Samu although short in height is one of the brightest players and definitely the best striker of the Castilla if not the academy, now the reason why I didn't make such a bold claim of the best in the academy is the reason that a Juvenil A striker by the name of Alvaro Morata, who might be promoted to the Castilla this year and is featuring in the recent practice sessions is also one of the stars of the academy.

Javier Acuna who had started the season brilliantly with the Castilla last season could have been one of the candidates to be promoted but he suffered from a horrible ankle injury and lost the last 6 months of the season.

Jose Mourinho has already made clear in his interviews that he is interested in signing only 2 more players, a midfielder most probably Khedira and a defender. The "Special One" knows what he's doing, and will probably choose what's best for the team.

The chances of Negredo coming back are slim, but I do hope he comes back, if not, I'll be more than delighted to see new strikers coming up from the academy. Hala Madrid!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Real Madrid's Confirmed Pre-Season Friendlies 2010

Real Madrid have not yet disclosed all the pre-season friendlies they will play on their, these are the pre-season friendlies that Real Madrid will play according to Marca:
  • Still to be determined: 31 July
  • Club America (not confirmed): 4 August: Mexico/Spain (not confirmed)
  • LA Galaxy: 7 August: U.S.A (Away)
  • Bayern Munich: 13 August: Germany (Away)
  • Standard Liege: 17 August: Belgium (Away)
  • Hercules: 21 August (Away)
  • Corinthians: 24 August (Home) (Trofeo Santiago Bernabeu)
I suppose Real Madrid will be facing more teams on their USA tour, but as I said some of these matches aren't confirmed, so be on the lookout for any change in schedule.

Also, according to Real Madrid Zone's "sources" Real Madrid are planning to go to Malaysia and will play a match with the Malaysian National team, not too sure about their sources, but if you live in Malaysia, I would like you to confirm it for me, ask around, see if there are any preperations going around.

Eagerly waiting to see Real Madrid play under Jose Mourinho! Hala Madrid!

Pedro Leon's Signing Is Just What Was Needed

I'm a little late due to some personal issues but here is the Pedro Leon post that I promised.

Last season whenever we looked at the bench to change the flow of the game, we had an old Raul, two out of these three holding midfielders—Lass, Mahamadou or Gago, a low on confidence Granero, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Guti and Benzema.

Out of these Guti, Benzema and Rafael Van Der Vaart were the players who could change a game while making an appearance from the bench.

Kaka remained injured for long stretches, Benzema got injured too. And to replace the injured Kaka either Guti or Van Der Vaart started the game, which meant further reduction of bench strength, attacking wise. All that we are left with was 2 holding midfielders, an unconfident Granero and Raul (despite the captain having passion, you still can't call him a player who can change the game).

It really doesn't help when the best options on the bench are defensive players as I've never seen a team chasing a game win by bringing on defensive players, and that's why I think Pedro Leon's signing is just what was needed! We now have a player that can turn around games, is two footed, can play on both the flanks & the center, has the passion and the drive to succeed, is also a proven performer in the Spanish league and at the age of 23, he has many years left in him.

Pedro Leon signed with Getafe last season from Valladolid and helped them finish sixth in the league and qualify for the Europa League with 8 goals and 9 assists, and was hands down their best player.

Although it is expected that he will be a bench player, it wouldn't surprise me if Pedro Leon would fight his way in the starting 11 and with the rumors about Kaka requiring surgery, it is quite possible that he might get his opportunity early! Bienvenido Pedro! Hala Madrid!

I really don't dig the music in this video, but it's a good compilation of what Pedro Leon can do:

Friday, July 16, 2010

Official: Pedro Leon Signs For Real Madrid

Pedro Leon was presented at the Santiago Bernabeu after he signed a 6 year contract with Real Madrid today. Pedro Leon's transfer was finalized with Getafe for €10 million.

The 6 year contract means that the rumors about Pedro Leon being used as a make-weight in the Jesus Navas deal have been falsified.

This is just a news update, I am preparing a post on Pedro Leon, more soon. Hala Madrid!


Thursday, July 15, 2010

Real Madrid's Pursuit For Sami Khedira Is a Step Forward In The Right Direction

Those of you who have been following Real Madrid's transfer updates would be familiar with a similar trend in the process of signing a player.

Firstly the media links Real Madrid with millions of players, the second step is the player's acceptance of his love for Real Madrid and how he's always wanted to play for the club. Next, the President of the "target's" club issues statements about how the player is not for sale, and simultaneously hangs a hefty price-tag on the player which is 20-25% above the actual price of the player.

Now there are different things that happen depending on whether the player is an actual target or not. If the player was not a real target, the rumors slowly die down and the occasional Madridista's tweets and/or comments on blogs, forums etc. about how he/she would like to see the said player wearing the royal whites pop up in a Google search.

And if a player is a real target, then the President (Sporting Director etc. etc.) of his club issues a statement about how they haven't received any bid from Real Madrid (75% of the time, this is a sign that there is interest in the player), the negotiations begin, the player gets restless and goes on dropping hints in interviews that his signing is a matter of time, Real Madrid get the player but pay more than the market price.

Every Madridista is happy that the new player has arrived but nearly everyone believes the price is a little too much on the higher side then it should be. The cycle continues.

This trend started to change last season, when Real Madrid said no to Valencia's demand of more money for David Villa, Real Madrid told Valencia to shove him up theirs and moved on, although the "Plan B" hasn't panned out exactly like they would have expected but it is not such a bad transfer looking at Benzema's previous records and his age. The good thing here is that they have learned to say no to teams's exorbitant demands for players.

The change in pattern seems to be continuing as Real Madrid have already denied to pay €50 million to Bayern Munich for Bastian Schweinsteiger, €30 million to Athletic Bilbao for Javi Martinez, and €30 million to Liverpool for Steven Gerrard. Now we can all agree that all of them are wonderful players, but are definitely not worth the money their teams are asking for. The smart thing to do is communicate with the teams and get the prices down, but neither Bayern Munich or Athletic Bilbao are in need to sell their players so they probably wouldn't lower their prices, like Valencia refused to budge last year.

Going after Sami Khedira is a brilliant decision as at €8-10 million, he isn't half as expensive as the aforementioned players and is a pretty decent player, one of the brightest talents of Germany—so my Bayern Munich supporting friend tells me!

For those who are skeptical about Sami Khedira joining Real Madrid, this isn't the first time that Sami Khedira has caught the attention of Real Madrid, 2 seasons ago when he was busy winning the U-21 World Cup with Germany he caught the eye of Real Madrid for the first time. Sami Khedira had a brilliant World Cup with Germany recently and add to that the fact that even Jose Mourinho himself pondered about signing him last season at Internazionale, the interest in Sami Khedira was bound to rekindle.

I am just happy that Real Madrid are looking at cheaper alternatives instead of throwing money on the players, I hope this trend continues and they learn to spend money more wisely and don't get conned by the selling clubs.

Now if you are still not convinced by Sami Khedira, you better start liking him, like I did with Angel Di Maria (I might smile and accept his signing but still I am not happy about this signing, he's too expensive for someone unproven and might cost us a few of the Canteranos),  because if you believe what AS & Marca have to say, Sami Khedira was in Madrid yesterday and also visited the Valdebebas, and that the completion of Sami's transfer is a matter of hours.

More on Sami Khedira after the completion of the transfer (75% of me believes the signing is done)! Hala Madrid!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Real Madrid Cantera Update: Daniel Opare & Pedro Mosquera Bid Farewell

It's been a very long time since I last posted a Cantera Update, these should be frequent this time around. It's really tough to give a decent build-up to such kind of posts, from the next time around, it'll be straight to the news.

News that is pretty old, which I won't cover in this segment is that the Real Madrid Juvenil A lost the finals of the Copa del Ray against Athletic Bilbao's U-19 team, The Juvenil A were chasing the treble after winning the European competition and the league.


» Pedro Mosquera Signs For Getafe
22 year old Pedro Mosquera has officially signed for Getafe, the Real Madrid Castilla captain Mosquera debuted for the Real Madrid first team at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez in a 4-2 victory over Getafe last season. The details of the transfer haven't yet been released and only Getafe's official site has confirmation of the transfer. Mosquera will be presented at Getafe on 13 July.

It's not official but the reason of the deal might be the signing of Pedro Leon. In an interview published on both AS & Marca according to the Getafe manager—Michel, the signing of €7 million man (more like €10 million but Getafe owe €3 million to Real Madrid due to Roberto Soldado's signing with Valencia)—Pedro Leon has been completed by Real Madrid pending the decision of Jose Mourinho. Nowhere has it been written that Pedro Mosquera is part of the Pedro Leon deal, I'm just connecting the dots.


» Daniel Opare Signs For Standard Liege
One of the most versatile players of the academy—Daniel Opare(19) has left the Castilla to sign for Standard Liege in Belgium. According to Castilla's coach—Allejandro Menendez, Opare was a great talent but just couldn't settle here in Spain. Opare debuted for the Ghanaian national team at the age of 17.


» Daniel Carvajal Offered Promotion & New Contract
Daniel Carvajal, another pearl of the academy has signed a contract till 2014 with the club. Daniel Carvajal is a tremendous right-back and was an important part of the double winning Juvenil A. He has also featured with the La Rojita (U-16, U-17) and will feature with the U-19 team in the summer as well. After his brilliant performances with the Juvenil A last season, Carvajal has been promoted to the Real Madrid Castilla, and might feature in the first team training sessions and on the bench next season.


» Jesus Fernandez Signs For The Castilla
Real Madrid Castilla are strengthening their squad before the new season, and in the process, they have signed 20 year old goalkeeper—Jesus Fernandez from Numancia. I couldn't find any information on Jesus Fernandez, or about how good he is. We'll have to wait for the pre-season friendlies to see what actually he can do.


More on the wonderful academy of Real Madrid next week (hopefully)! Hala Madrid!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Real Madrid's Player of the Season: Xabi Alonso

The season after spending truck-loads of money on players comes with a lot of expectations, and when you're Real Madrid people expect good football, trophies and a whole lot more from you. The expectations are so much that despite securing 96 points in a season and scoring 102 goals and conceding a mere 35 goals in the process your season is still deemed a failure.

I beg to differ, the last season wasn't a complete failure before the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini, but with Manuel Pellegrini sacked Real Madrid are back at square one, and with a new coach all the work of gelling and playing to a system will have to be done again.But still, last season Real Madrid regained the style with which they play football (2008-09 season was an utter disappointment, the football was very ugly that season after losing Mahamadou Diarra and Ruben De La Red for the season) and with that attractive attacking football also came a defensive stability despite missing arguably the best central defender they have—Pepe.

Now I know many people have different players as their Player of the Season, some have Cristiano Ronaldo, some have Gonzalo Higuain, some have Sergio Ramos, and some like me also have Xabi Alonso as their Player of the Season.

The reason why I chose Xabi Alonso as the Player of The Season is that I always feel that enough credit isn't given to the best midfielder in the world, be it in the Spanish National team, Liverpool or Real Madrid. Xabi Alonso does all the work be it passing, breaking up plays, winning balls back, covering up Gago/Lass's (Busquet's in Spain) mistakes and with all that Xabi also brings a much needed level of calmness in the center of midfield.

Xabi Alonso is one of the smartest players to wear the royal white jersey, he's always aware of the runner and can play one-touch football very nicely. Xabi's short grounded passing is like running a warm knife through butter and his long sweeping, attack changing accurate balls are just magnificent. Xabi Alonso's passing range is the envy of many midfielders. I'm sorry I get carried away whenever we talk about Xabi Alonso's skill, that's why I also have added the video of Alvaro Arbeloa's goal against Atletico Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu to show you what I mean.



All the people who watched Xabi Alonso this season, know how important he really is, we can do without Cristiano or Kaka or Higuain but we can't live without Xabi Alonso. All season long Xabi Alonso has sat back more than he usually does (covering for Gago and Lass), broke up many of the opposition's plays, sat back so Sergio Ramos could bomb forward, linked the defense with midfield brilliantly, made assists like the one above to bail out the team and is the biggest reason for just conceding only 35 goals last season.

Xabi Alonso is the best £30 million ever spent. I hope he gets a better midfield partner than Lass or Gago this time, Mahamadou would do just fine though.

Hoping for some trophies to match our performance next season! Hala Madrid!


(If you have anyone other than Xabi Alonso in mind, don't be shy, speak up, comment below)

Welcome To The New Blog


Those of you who are familiar with my old blog (which I have discontinued, but not deleted) Real Addicts: Addicted To Real Madrid know how I write, how I wish to change the negatives I had, and how this blog is supposed to be a fresh start, to blogging without being unprofessional and calling people names (which honestly they do deserve, but never mind). This blog will have all the news relating Real Madrid, match previews, reviews everything (which I'll be able to cover, obviously). That would be all.


Hala Madrid!

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