It’s been 16 years since Real Madrid gave a 17-year old Raul a chance and he will always be loyal to the club for this, he says after saying his farewells to the Santiago Bernabeu.
The Real captain was a key part of one of the club’s most successful sides ever, winning three Champions League trophies and 16 titles in total, but was only a bit-part player last season and has decided to end his career elsewhere.
“It’s a hard day for me,” he said at a press conference. “I feel like a footballer still and I will keep on playing, but I will always be loyal to Real Madrid. I have tried to give everything in my time here.”
Raul is expected to sign for Bundesliga club Schalke and the striker says the time is right for a new challenge.
“A new period starts today,” he said. “I have been happy at Real Madrid and I will always be willing to help the club in whatever it needs.”
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Three days after winning the La Liga title Barcelona have snapped up Valencia striker David Villa for €40 million.
After a board meeting at Valencia in the morning, their president Manuel Llorente said they had accepted Barca’s offer for the striker who scored 21 league goals last season to finish his fifth consecutive campaign as the club’s top scorer.
“We have sold David Villa to Barcelona for 40 million euros,” he told a news conference at the Mestalla.
On the international stage, Villa is Spain’s second highest scorer with 36 goals from 55 matches, eight short of Raul’s record, and he will be spearheading Spain’s World Cup campaign in South Africa next month.
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Log co-leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid will both be missing key players in their Spanish La Liga match tonight.
Madrid will be without Brazil playmaker Kaka, and Barcelona will be missing striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Kaka is still hampered by a groin injury while Ibrahimovic has failed to recover from a calf problem.
Both clubs have 77 points with eight games left to play.
Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini has called on his team to show no fear as it looks to overturn a three-game losing streak against the defending champions.
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LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham will be joining AC Milan on loan again from January 2010 the club confirmed.
Former England captain Beckham had been strongly linked with a second loan spell with the Rossoneri to improve his chances of making Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad.
Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani claimed last week an announcement was imminent – and it has been confirmed on the club’s official website on Monday evening.
Beckham moved to the San Siro during Major League Soccer’s off-season last January, initially on a three-month loan deal, but impressed so much his stay was extended until the end of the Serie A campaign.
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Los Blancos have been shocked to the core by Segunda B neighbors Alcorcon by losing 4 – 0 in Copa del Rey on one of the most embarrassing nights in Madrid’s distinguished footballing history.
It was a display of poise, attacking quality, hunger and a will to win from the heroic home side who secured the most memorable night in their 38 year history as a shambolic, disorganised Madrid looked like footballing minnows.
The first half well and truly belonged to the hosts, who dominated Real Madrid from start to finish and the three goal interval lead could have been more as the visitors looked more like the Segunda B side.
Sergio Mora, Ruben Sanz, and Borja all put Jerzy Dudek to the test before Alcorcon eventually took a deserved lead after just 15 minutes as Borja Gomez skipped past the challenge of Mali international Mahamadou Diarra before clipping the ball past the Polish stopper to send the home support into raptures.
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Barcelona have started talks with their star striker Lionel Messi to upgrade his current contract. “Relations between the two sides are very good,” club president Joan Laporta said.
Messi’s entourage “knows that Barca want the player to feel good here… We are proud to have him in the team because he is the best player in the world.”
The negotiations are continuing “at a good pace,” he said.
The 22-year-old is under contract with Barca until 2010. His salary is estimated at eight million euros per year.
Coach Pep Guardiola said meanwhile said that the arrival of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will help keep Messi on his toes, and that’s what he needs.
“If Leo isn’t under pressure, he gets bored,” he said.
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Alvaro Arbeloa have signed a 5-year contract with Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old Arbeloa passed a medical on Wednesday in Madrid
before completing his £3.5 million transfer
from Liverpool.
“The results of every test are very satisfactory,” Dr Carlos
Diez said. “He is delighted about playing for Real Madrid. It’s
always been his dream. He can’t wait to join his teammates.”
Arbeloa becomes the club’s seventh offseason signing, after
Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Negredo
and Esteban Granero.
“Arbeloa’s versatility allows him to play anywhere in defence,”
Madrid said on their website. “He is a very regular and consistent
player who thrives in one-on-ones.”
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Chelsea striker Didier Drogba believes John Terry will turn down a move to rivals Manchester City.
Terry has been linked with a move to Manchester City all summer, despite Chelsea denying that that they are interested in selling their captain.
Terry played the whole match when the Blues won 2-0 over Inter Milan at the Rose Bowl in California this morning.
“He’s our captain and we need him and we know he’s going to stay with us and win more trophies,” Drogba told ESPN.
Drogba added, on facing former boss Jose Mourinho: “It’s always nice to see him, he was a big part of Chelsea’s success and now we’re moving on.
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Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini says the Portuegese star Christiano Ronaldo does not have star mentality.
“He’s as I expected him to be. He is the first to arrive at a training session, he has fully integrated into the squad, he doesn’t act as a star,” he said Sunday during his first post-training press conference as Real’s new coach.
“He is a very talented but normal player who is devoted to Real Madrid. His image is very different to how he is as a player.”
Real signed the player from Manchester United last month on a six-year deal worth around 94 million euros (131 million dollars) and he will reportedly be paid 13 million euros each season, making him the most expensive player in the world.
The 24-year-old was officially unveiled before some 75,000 ecstatic Real fans on July 6 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
He had to be hurried away when spectators leapt over security barriers to try to get an autograpah.
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Cristiano Ronaldo was presented to a near-capacity crowd of 80,000 at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium after completing the formalities of his £80m world record move to Real Madrid.
An estimated 50,000-strong crowd – almost three times the anticipated number – turned up to watch the ceremony at the Bernabeu stadium as Kaka was unveiled as Madrid’s latest addition by club president Florentino Perez and honorary president Alfredo di Stefano.
Sources: dailymail.co.uk zimbio.com
