If Zinedine Zidane can find a way to utilise a visibly-frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo and turn his apparent fury into a fierce performance against Borussia Dortmund, then the Real Madrid coach truly has the midas touch.
During a rondo passing-and-pressing session as the side trained at Signal Iduna Park, the winger became continually annoyed by his teammates keeping hold of the ball.
A number of times Ronaldo showed his frustration, none more so than when he picks up the ball and hoofs it away from the group after James Rodriguez clipped his wrist with a pass.
Best seen towards the end of the video, watch the moment above.
Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez might still end up leaving Real Madrid even though the club has already rejected a loan offer from English Premier League club Chelsea. It is believed that Real Madrid President Florentino Perez is open to a deal only if it is permanent, and not a loan arrangement.
Just days before the summer transfer window closes on Aug. 31, The Mirror reports that Chelsea and Real Madrid failed to come to an agreement on James Rodriguez. Chelsea reportedly proposed to sign the midfielder on a loan deal, but the European Champions are only keen on a high-stakes deal. The club needs to recover the £65 million that they spent on James, following a stellar performance in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Speculations about a move to other clubs started to increase after James appeared to have fallen out of favor at the Santiago Bernabeu. He barely started in the 2015/16 La Liga season. Thanks to several injuries at the start of the new season, he managed to clock in some minutes in the past month. He played in the UEFA Super Cup victory against Sevilla and also managed to appear in the team’s first two La Liga matches. However, it is still way below the expectations brought about by the hype that came with his arrival two years ago.
Nevertheless, Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane assures fans that he is trying to treat James fairly, along with the other players. “He is a Real player and he is under contract. It’s true that he has played less minutes and that can be a problem. I always try to make every player feel important. James is the same as the others.”
With a team that has an abundant number of highly rated players, elbowing for position has been a constant struggle. James Rodriguez could potentially get more playing time in a different club, but it remains to be seen if any last-minute deal could be reached. Apart from Chelsea, Italian champions Juventus are reportedly interested.
James Rodríguez is Madrid’s greatest mystery this summer.Florentinowants to keep him, because in certain ways he’s the prototype galáctico: an exquisite attacking midfielder who is number one in his country (and a rather large country, at that). But he doesn’t convince Zidane though. One of the things that Florentino likes is a complete team, where attack and defence come together, where some players have good feet and others strong legs, where some sit and wait and others cover every blade. In other words, a team which fully compliments each other.
JAMES RODRIGUEZ JESUS AGUILERA (DIARIO AS)
James can be in a class of his own, but...
James can be in class of his own and he started formidably well at the Bernabéu.Ancelotti achieved the miracle of combining the BBC with a midfield made of Modric, Kroos and James (and sometimes Isco). It worked thanks to the hard work of those midfield three, and if he missed out on league titles it was largely due to the long absences of Modric. But inside the space of a year, Kroos continued to impress while James, not so much. And Benítez paid the price. Not long after arriving, Zidane reformed the team with Casemiro coming in. As attacking midfielders, James and Isco were left out, and as long as the BBC plays there won’t be any room for them. So now, the roles of James and Isco are reduced to mostly sitting on the substitutes’ bench, with extra pressure coming from the competition provided by Asensio, who’s not a bad player either.
Selling James could fund Pogba move
James let himself down last season. His wife (who is goalkeeper David Ospina’s sister) spent months in Bogotá taking part in the Colombian version of the TV programme ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ and the sudden state of bachelorhood seemed to affect him. When he played, he was different and much worse than we’d gotten used to. Selling him could open up a lot of funds, and who knows, help contribute to the arrival of Pogba. Zidane, in that case, would have a lot more vigour in the centre of the park.
The star forward bagged a brace and Karim Benzema score the crucial third to ensure La Liga's title race goes to the final day
A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo helped Real Madrid to a 3-2 win over Valencia that ensures they go into the final day of the Liga season as Barcelona's only challengers for the title.
Ronaldo's 48th and 49th goals of another prolific season, which sandwiched a Karim Benzema strike, earned Zinedine Zidane's side an 11th-straight league win to keep them within a point of champions Barca, who hammered Espanyol 5-0.
Victory moves Madrid above neighbours and Champions League final opponents Atletico, who lost 2-1 at already-relegated Levante to drop out of the title race, and means they visit Deportivo La Coruna next weekend knowing that a 12th win on the spin could see them overhaul Luis Enrique's team in the most dramatic of circumstances.
Madrid were comfortable for much of Sunday's game at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Valencia indebted to goalkeeper Diego Alves for restricting Ronaldo and co to three goals.
Ronaldo opened the scoring with an excellent finish midway through the first half, before Benzema added a second shortly before the interval.
Valencia reduced the arrears early in the second half through Rodrigo - who was later sent off - but Ronaldo's 33rd Liga goal of the campaign just before the hour sealed the points, although Madrid did endure a nervy final eight minutes thanks to Andre Gomes' late goal.
Ronaldo struggled to get involved in the early stages, but he was on hand to break the deadlock in the 26th minute.
Just seconds after forcing Alves into a good save low to his right, Ronaldo collected Marcelo's pass and shot unerringly back across the keeper from 20 yards.
The out-of-favour James Rodriguez played as if he had a point to prove after being recalled to Zidane's starting XI, and an excellent free-kick delivery from the Colombian almost provided Madrid with a second soon after Ronaldo's opener, only for Sergio Ramos to nod wide.
Valencia should have been level when Joao Cancelo tamely side-footed over when it seemed easier to score, and the Portuguese's misery was compounded when he inadvertently set up Benzema for Madrid's second three minutes before the break.
Alves initially made a superb save from Benzema's flicked effort, before the ball rebounded off Cancelo and back to the Frenchman, who swivelled and tucked past Alves at his near post.
Madrid sought to put the game beyond doubt early in the second half but they were frustrated by Alves, who made a brilliant reaction stop from Benzema's powerful header.
However, Valencia skipper Dani Parejo served a warning when he clipped the crossbar with a free-kick that had Kiko Casilla well beaten, before the visitors pulled a goal back in the 55th minute.
Raphael Varane failed to clear a low cross from the left properly, and Rodrigo side-footed home from 18 yards.
But Madrid restored their two-goal lead just four minutes later and, somewhat inevitably, it was Ronaldo who got the goal, as he latched onto a slide-rule pass from the impressive James and fired high past Alves with his left foot.
Ronaldo was then withdrawn for Alvaro Arbeloa, making his final Madrid appearance at the Bernabeu, before Gomes pulled one back and Rodrigo saw red for dissent in an eventful ending to an entertaining match.
REAL Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has ended speculation surrounding his future by signing a new five-year deal with the Spanish giants, the club confirmed on Monday.
Ramos had been courted by Manchester United during a standoff in negotiations between his representatives and Madrid president Florentino Perez over the Spanish international’s salary with his previous deal set to expire in 2017.
However, the club said in a statement he will remain “tied to the club for the next five seasons.” Both Ramos and Perez will appear at a press conference to mark the renewal at 1:30pm local time at the club’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
According to Spanish media reports, Ramos will earn up to 10 million euros (AU$15m) a season.
United and Madrid have been locked in transfer talks all summer with Real still hopeful of landing Ramos’s international teammate David de Gea before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
Ramos is now Madrid’s longest serving player having signed from Sevilla 10 years ago as a 19-year-old and will be club captain for the first time this season after Iker Casillas’s 18-year career at the Bernabeu came to an end when he joined Porto last month.
Despite holding an unwanted record as the Madrid player to have seen most red cards in the history of the club with a staggering 19 dismissals, Ramos is a hero among the Real support and is most fondly remembered for scoring the goal that saved Los Blancos from losing the 2014 Champions League final to local rivals Atletico Madrid.
His stoppage time header forced the game into extra-time where the white half of Madrid went onto dominate and run out 4-1 winners to complete his own personal repertoire of honours, which also includes three La Liga titles and two Copa del Reys as well as the World Cup and two European Championships at international level with Spain.
By committing to stay at the Bernabeu, Ramos has offered a huge lift to a Real side in need of a confidence boost ahead of the kick-off to the La Liga campaign next weekend.
Ramos was among a host of high-profile first-team players also including Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez who showed their discontent at the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti in May.
The appointment of Rafael Benitez as Ancelotti’s successor was met with scepticism by the vast majority of the club’s fans and Perez has unusually decided against the lavish signing of a “galactico” this summer, instead settling for a deeper and younger squad.
However, without the injured Ronaldo, Benitez’s men have struggled in pre-season, failing to score in four of their seven friendlies so far.
Madrid begin their league campaign away to newly promoted Sporting Gijon on August 23.
Today is a day of celebration for Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes and his partner, Sandra Barbosa, are tying the knot at the São João Baptista church, located in Foz, an affluent residential part of Porto. The forward will serve as the best man for the ceremony, which will be attended by 400 people.
Where the reception is concerned, the couple have chosen the facilities at the Serralves Foundation, one of Portugal's most prestigious museums. The most important agent in the football world has forked out almost €100,000 to rent the gardens at the foundation and have them completely closed off to the public eye, so that the legion of guests can enjoy the event in total privacy without worrying about the paparazzi.
Mendes is one of the richest men in Portugal, with a fortune believed to be in excess of €100 million. Small wonder, then, that the power broker has spared no expense on his second nuptials.
The 49-year-old and Barbosa, who have three children together, are getting married at the altar having previously wed in a civil ceremony in 2005.
Cristiano is not expected to be the only Mendes client in attendance, not by a long shot: the likes of James Rodríguez, Pepe, Radamel Falcao, José Mourinho and Jorge Jesus are all on the guest list. Other leading football personalities invited include Florentino Pérez, Roman Abramovich, Peter Lim and Joan Laporta.
Jese and Casemiro look solid replacements for the first XI.
It is still too early to draw significant conclusions, but there are plenty of reasons for optimism after manager Rafa Benitez's Real Madrid side saw off Manchester City 4-1 on Friday in Melbourne, Australia.
Aside from the obvious plus points -- a smiling Cristiano Ronaldo on the score sheet, Luka Modric back in the engine room, and a strong defence giving goalkeeper Keylor Navas a watching brief, for the most part -- there is more to this Real side than immediately meets the eye going into the new season.
Benitez has taken a schoolmaster's approach to his new squad and everybody has started with a clean slate. Unlike his predecessors, to a lesser or greater extent, the Spaniard has resisted the temptation to simply run down the list of players available to him and mark "loan" next to their names without having a good look first.
It's fairly obvious that Jose Maria Romero, Ruben Yanez and Marcos Llorente won't be first-team material during 2015-16, but everyone else on Real's Southern Hemisphere tour is being given a fair chance, which can only strengthen the side in the medium term.
Previous manager Carlo Ancelotti didn't do a lot wrong during his tenure at the Bernabeu, but there is mitigation for the board's decision to sack the Italian; when the first team was diminished by injury, Ancelotti had little in the way of solutions, and at the tail end of last season it cost the club dearly.
He may not have fancied the resources he had at his disposal -- as proven by his reluctance to field €32 million man Asier Illarramendi -- but he failed to address yawning gaps in his squad throughout his two-year reign. Benitez seems intent on making sure he has more options from the bench.
The signing of Lucas Silva may have been a whim of the sporting directorship, but Ancelotti perhaps should have displayed more faith in Casemiro, who proved at Porto that he is more than capable of filling the third-choice defensive midfield slot.
Silva was billed as one for the future, but it smacked more of a panic buy because the hierarchy clearly was not convinced that Illarramendi was up to the task. Thrown in at the deep end, it became painfully apparent that Silva was flailing badly in unfamiliar waters. A loan outing for the €14 million Brazilian is inevitable, not least because among Real's four non-EU players -- the rules allow just three to be named in a matchday squad -- he is the most expendable, behind James Rodriguez, Danilo and Casemiro.
Benitez is fashioning a squad where ability will be as important as marketability, at least within the parameters of a club like Real Madrid. Lucas Vazquez was brought back to the Bernabeu after a successful loan spell at Espanyol, where he showed he has the confidence to run at opposition defenders and a penchant for tracking back, which is not exactly the case with Real Madrid attacking players normally.
Although he can expect to act as an understudy to Gareth Bale initially, at 24 Vazquez will also be encouraged to ensure that the Welshman doesn't get too complacent. It doesn't seem likely that there will be any "untouchables" on Benitez's watch if the manager's opening gambits are anything to go by.
Meanwhile, Denis Cheryshev looks set to be another beneficiary of Benitez's open house approach. The Russia international, also 24, was recalled after a successful loan at Villarreal last season and has been playing his way into Benitez's plans Down Under. Real lacked any genuine backups to Bale and Ronaldo last season during Jese's lengthy injury layoff, but both Vazquez and Cheryshev, who found the net Friday against City, have league experience and are fully equipped to step up when required at the Bernabeu.
If Benitez can draw the best out of Jese in a centre-forward role -- the Spain under-21 international started there against Roma -- then Real will have a full order of replacements across the front line for the 2015-16 season. Benitez himself has stated there's no point in buying if the squad can't be instantly improved, and it's difficult to upgrade on what Real already possesses. What Benitez is building is a solid backup supply for the nominal first XI, which is what he put out against City in the absence of Rodriguez.
With Casemiro back at the Bernabeu to plug the hole at the base of midfield when Toni Kroos or Modric are unavailable and Isco excelling in the role of a deep-lying playmaker in Australia -- the Spain international provided two assists in Friday's victory -- Benitez has more or less everything he needs for the season ahead.
When the fixtures start piling up and injuries and suspensions take their toll, Real are far better equipped already to challenge on all fronts than they were last year. That's some pretty solid work on the part of the new manager with four weeks still to spare until the season begins in earnest.
The Real Madrid coach says his relationship with the Portugal star is good and admits James Rodriguez and Isco represent a real selection dilemma
Rafael Benitez says Cristiano Ronaldo is welcome to get angry during training - as long as he keeps producing the goods on the pitch.
Ronaldo caught the headlines after becoming aggravated with Benitez during a recent Real Madrid training session, though he promptly delivered a typically ruthless display in the 4-1 win over Manchester City.
And his head coach says he has no problem with such outbursts from his players, provided they deliver when it matters most.
"My relationship with him is good," he told reporters in China when asked about Ronaldo. "When someone gets angry during a training session, but then does their job, there's no problem, it's fine."
Benitez also admits having a fully-fit James Rodriguez and Isco to choose from will present a welcome selection dilemma heading into the new season.
"As a coach I am delighted to have players with quality like that," he said. "To be competitive, they need to be at 100 per cent and after that I will make my decision. Both of them are going to make my job much harder."
Madrid take on Inter in the International Champions Cup on Monday.
