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Balague: Cristiano Ronaldo 'Will Leave' Real Madrid for Manchester United

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 19 Sep 2014 14:04:00 +0000

Balague: Cristiano Ronaldo 'Will Leave' Real Madrid for Manchester United

It's no surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo is upset with Real Madrid's transfer movement over the past few seasons.

While it might not affect his performance on the pitch, Ronaldo's affections for Madrid might be lessening.

The Portuguese superstar is also getting a bit older, and knee injuries are becoming far too common.

Does that all add up to a move out of Madrid?

Bleacher Report's Guillem Balague weighs in on the future of Ronaldo in this 2 videos above.

Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible backheel goal against Valencia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 06 May 2014 13:47:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo's incredible backheel goal against Valencia

Click on the Link to watch the Video

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1tay0v_cristiano-ronaldo-s-incredible-backheel-goal-against-valencia_sport

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Cristiano Ronaldo wins Fifa Ballon d'Or after stellar year at Real Madrid

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 06 Mar 2014 14:31:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo wins Fifa Ballon d'Or after stellar year at Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Fifa Ballon d'Or for the second time after a stellar year. The Real Madrid forward was emotional as he collected his award and thanked his team-mates for their support.

"First of all I have to say a great thanks to all of my team-mates with the club and the national team," he said. "Without all of their efforts this would not have been possible. I am very happy, it is very difficult to win this award.

"Everybody that has been involved with me on a personal level I have to thank. My wife, my friends, my son. It is a tremendously emotional moment. All I can say is thank you to everybody that has been involved."

Scoring at a ratio of over a goal a game, he became the quickest Real Madrid player to reach 200 goals for the club and signed a new deal at the Bernabéu in what was a sensational 2013 for the 28-year-old. He also scored in both legs of Madrid's Champions League tie against his former side Manchester United but could not help his compatriot José Mourinho capture any silverware in his final year at the club.

Ronaldo won the 2008 Ballon d'Or for his performances as a Manchester United player but since then has seen his great rival Lionel Messi walk off with the prize four years in a row while he has finished as a runner-up three times.

Messi may have dropped below his own high standards in the last year – averaging a meagre goal a game and winning only his sixth Primera Division crown with Barcelona – but he was hoping to collect his fifth straight Ballon d'Or.

Messi's importance to Barcelona was highlighted during an infamous Champions League mauling at the hands of Franck Ribéry's Bayern Munich in April when the 26-year-old was an unused substitute in the second leg as he struggled to overcome a hamstring issue.

Ribéry enjoyed being part of an all-conquering Bayern side who swept everyone away domestically and on the European stage, hammering Messi's Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate in their Champions League semi-final before going on to beat their German rivals Borussia Dortmund in the Wembley final.

While Ribéry collected winners' medals for the Bundesliga, the German Cup, Champions League, Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup competitions, Ronaldo did not win a single team accolade with his Real Madrid side in 2013. But the Ballon d'Or is awarded for individual prestige and the Portugal captain once again shone brightly for much of the year.

The first ever Ballon d'Or prix d'honneur was awarded to Pelé. "In the great sweep of history, there are few names that stand out. But when we think of football, there is one name that leaps out above all others," said the Fifa president Sepp Blatter. "No player has had such an influence on the game. No one has inspired so many to play. His legacy speak to us all. His verve and skill were timeless. His creativity limitless, his good nature boundless."

"I got so many trophies and prizes but I was jealous because all of those guys who got the Ballon d'Or, which I couldn't get because I didn't play in Europe," Pelé said. "Now I thank God that I can complete my trophies at home."

The Fifa/Fifpro World XI 2013 was also named and featured the Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, the defenders Philipp Lahm, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva and Dani Alves, the midfielders Iniesta, Xavi and Ribéry and the forwards Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo.

Jupp Heynckes, who won the Champions League and the German league and cup with Bayern Munich last season, was named as the coach of the year over his fellow Champions League final coach, Dortmund's Jürgen Klopp. The retired former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was the third nominee for the coach of the year but he did not attend the ceremony as he is on a family holiday in Barbados.

The German goalkeeper Nadine Angerer, who plays in Australia for the Brisbane Roar, was named as the women's world player of the year ahead of the Brazilian Marta and the American Abby Wambach. The women's coach award went to Silvia Neid, who is in charge of the Germany team.

"I have to say that I'm a little surprised, but very thankful. First of all I have to thank everybody that voted for me. I just want to pay my respects to Marta and Abby who have had an incredible year too," Angerer said.

Ibrahimovic won the Puskas award for the most beautiful goal of the season for his long-distance bicycle kick while playing for Sweden against England. The former head of the International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogges won the presidential award while the Afghanistan football federation were awarded the fair play award.

Real Madrid 2-0 Xativa. The Canteranos pass the test with low grade

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 01:29:00 +0000

This Copa del Rey tie against 3rd-tier side Olimpic Xativa has been far from being a walk in the park for the Merengues, despite what many had initially previewed. Real Madrid managed to pull off a crucial 2-0 win on last night's 2nd leg hosted at the Santiago Bernabéu, thanks to goals from Asier Illarramendi and Angel Di María. Real Madrid will now face Osasuna next January, in the competition's last-16 stage.

Maybe calling Real Madrid team from last night a "Canteranos side" might be a bit of an overstatement, since in reality the home side only lined-up with 6 players that have gone through the club's youth categories. Nevertheless, it's more than half of an 11-man team and it hasn't been usual to see such a phenomenon taking place in Madrid over the last years. The Merengues defeated Olimpic Xativa by 2-0 and assured their passage into the last-16 stage of the Copa del Rey, after coming out of the first leg with a goalless draw. Cristiano Ronaldo served his last game of suspension in the competition and he'll be completely fit and ready to help the team by next Sunday, when Real Madrid vists Valencia for La Liga's last fixture of the 2013 calendar year.

Real Madrid 2-0 Olimpic Xativa goals and highlights video:

After a full 90-minute game where both sides failed to score a single goal, it took no more than 16 minutes for Real Madrid to finally open the hostilities and get in front of this tie. Angel Di María picked a short pass from Illarramendi already inside the visitors' half and sent a lob pass towards Jesé a few meters ahead, who had just escaped his marking. The Canterano kept his composure after his first touch to receive the pass and then left the ball over to Illarramendi, after having spotted him making a run from behind to support the attack. The former Real Sociedad midfielder showed he also has more than just defensive skills to bring up to this team and finished it off with a nice right-foot strike. It was Illarramendi's first goal ever for Real Madrid.

Angel Di María would get again involved in the play that led to the 2nd goal around the 27th minute, after crossing the ball into the visitors' box and seeing Alvaro Morata's header being blocked by a Xativa defender's arm. The referee didn't hesitate much and pointed to the spot, granting Di María his first opportunity to score from the penalty-mark as a Real Madrid player. The former Benfica winger didn't waste his chance and set the score in 2-0, allowing the home side to face the rest of the game in a lot more relaxed way.

That was probably the reason why the game ended up becoming a bit boring from that moment onwards, since Real Madrid's men on the pitch felt they had already done enough to guarantee the passage to the next round and Olimpic Xativa wasn't strong enough to create any serious problems to Iker Casillas. The Real Madrid goalkeeper had another very calm night at the back, completing another clean sheet game for his team. Even though Real Madrid played with many of their reserve players, they couldn't help but to leave the idea that they should have done in last night's game. Whether it was the Merengues first or second team playing, they had the obligation (at least to the fans) of presenting them with a better attacking game and show than they did.

By going through to the next round, Real Madrid will now take Osasuna on another 2-leg tie, since "Los Rojilos" also earned an aggregate victory over Malaga. They tied at 3 goals on their first away game and then pulled off another draw last night, this time with only 1 goal scored to each side. The away goals rule allowed them to get the better off Malaga, but they'll now have to lock horns with Real Madrid during the first weeks of 2014 and Ancelotti already stated that he won't be rotating his side as he did anymore. Since Cristiano Ronaldo has finally completed serving his 2-game ban in the Copa del Rey, he'll be eligibile to play against Osasuna on both legs scheduled for January.

Real Madrid line-up vs Olimpic Xativa:

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas

Defenders: Arbeloa, Pepe, Nacho, Carvajal

Midfielders: Illarramendi, Casemiro, Isco

Attackers: Angel Di María, Jesé, Alvaro Morata.

Real Madrid next game:

Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be for Real Madrid, against Valencia for La Liga, this next Sunday (December 22, 2013). You can watch Valencia vs Real Madrid, Getafe vs Barcelona, Manchester United vs West Ham and Fulham vs Manchester City, all matches provided from our live football streaming section.

Valencia vs Real Madrid kick-off time (22-12-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 02:00

Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 21:00

Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 20:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 16:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 15:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 12:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 03:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / goal.com / foxsports.com / beinsport.tv

UEFA Champions League last-16 round: The complete preview!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:35:00 +0000

The UEFA Champions League has finally reached its final rounds and having in mind this is the competition every player in Europe dreams about winning, we're certainly in for a treat.Real Madrid and Ronaldo will lock horns with Schalke 04, but it's the Manchester City vs Barcelona and Arsenal vs Bayern Munichclashes that inevitably stand out the most from this last-16 draw.
Lisbon will host the UEFA Champions League final next May 24, exactly 19 days before the 2014 FIFA World Cup kicks off [June 12], in Brazil. Sixteen teams have made it through the group stages of the competition and earlier this Monday, they've all met the name of their next opponent for the last-16 round of the Champions League. The draw was held in Nyon, Switzerland and as expected, just by looking at the match-ups we came up with, there are few doubts being raised about the high-level of excitement we'll have in the games ahead. Even though the top 3 favorites to be crowned European champions remain being Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Real Madrid, let's still take a closer look at all the teams and clashes taking place next February and March of 2014.

The UEFA Champions League 2013-2014:

Manchester City vs Barcelona

Let's start with one of the blockbusters ties of the season, putting two of the strongest teams of the competition face to face right away. Manuel Pellegrini's Manchester City has reached the last-16 round of the Champions League for the very first time in the club's history and they are certainly striving to make an impact now that they are in town. The Citizens qualified from Group D together with big favorites Bayern Munich and they are definitely talented enough to put on a good fight to any team out there. Barcelona in the other hand, is far from looking as dominating as they've been a couple years ago, but they are still a force to be reckoned as long as Lionel Messi is fit. The Argentinian has been struggling with injuries since the beginning of the season, but is expected to return on January 2014, more than in time for the last-16 first leg tie at the Etihad Stadium, scheduled for February 18. You can get your Champions League tickets here, so if you're planning on watching this game live, we advise you to book your tickets as soon as possible.

1st Leg (February 18): Manchester City vs Barcelona
2nd Leg (March 12): Barcelona vs Manchester City

Olympiakos vs Manchester United

The Greek champions Olympiakos made it out of Group C behind PSG, but got the better off Benfica in the standings, over the course of the group's six fixtures. They'll be trying to at least repeat their best campaign ever in the Champions League and which dates back to 1999, where they've managed to reach the competition's quarter-finals. They will heavily rely on Konstatinos Mitroglou's prolific goalscoring capabilities, but they are set to go head-to-head with the current English champions Manchester United, and that immediately makes them the obvious underdogs.Ronaldo's old club Manchester United face off against Olympiacos, in a season of the adaptaton process to their new manager ideas [David Moyes], has had its fair share of bumps already. The Red Devils have been quite poor in the English Premier League this season but somehow, they've managed to finish on top of Group A without even knowing what the bitter taste of defeat feels like. They may not be one of the strongest contenders to the Champions League title this year, but they were definitely lucky in the draw and now they are more than favorites to reach the quarter-finals.

1st Leg (February 25): Olympiakos vs Manchester United
2nd Leg (March 12): Manchester United vs Olympiakos

AC Milan vs Atletico Madrid

Here is a game where the odds to go through might seem as if they were turned around, at least for those who haven't been following these two teams over the past couple of years. Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid will go into this tie against AC Milan clearly carrying the favorites tag, which wouldn't make much sense to many football enthusiasts if we were talking about any other period in History other than these last couple of years. The Colchoneros imposed their law on Group G, finishing ahead of all competition with 5 games and 1 draw. They are one of the most solid teams in this Champions League edition and with David Villa and Diego Costa in their attack line, they have enough power upfront to intimidate any opponent. In the other hand, AC Milan is no longer close to be that team capable of dictating terms in Europe as they've done it for so many years and even if Mario Balotelli finds his best form by February, it's not very likely that they'll make it through into the next stage of the competition.

1st Leg (February 19): AC Milan vs Atletico Madrid
2nd Leg (March 11): Atletico Madrid vs AC Milan

Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG

Leverkusen is one of the few sides that made it to this stage by qualifying with a negative goal aggregate (9 goals forward and 10 goals against). They outplayed both Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad as they paved their path to the last-16 rounds and they only came short to Manchester United in Group A standings. They are probably the third strongest German side of the moment, but they'll have very few chances of repeating their most succesful campaign of 2002, a year where they reached and lost the UEFA Champions League final against Real Madrid by 3-0. At the other side of the barricade is PSG, the current French champions and definitely one of the sides to have into consideration when talking about serious Champions League title contenders. They have never made it through this competition's semi-finals, but they have high hopes of doing so this season, especially with players such as Edison Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic feeding their dreams.

1st Leg (February 18): Bayer Leverkusen vs PSG
2nd Leg (March 12): PSG vs Bayer Leverkusen

Galatasaray vs Chelsea

One of the biggest group stage stunts was pulled off by Galatasaray, the current Turkish champions. They made it out in second place in Group B behind Real Madrid, but surprisingly ahead of the Italian champions Juventus. They rely on the talent and experience of the likes of former Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, as well asWesley Sneijder and Burak Yilmaz, but they're on the verge of going into a mission who many believe to be doomed to failure. Galatasaray will lock horns with José Mourinho's Chelsea FC, a team that can only get better with time and that currently holds one of the strongest mixes of youth and experience in the game. Drogba will most likely earn a very warm welcoming at the Stamford Bridge next March 18, but it's his old club Chelsea FC who seems to be clearly ahead on this particular race to reach the quarter-finals.

1st Leg (February 26): Galatasaray vs Chelsea
2nd Leg (March 18): Chelsea vs Galatasaray

Schalke 04 vs Real Madrid

The Miners [Schalke nickname] have never went beyond the UEFA Champions League semi-finals and if we had any money available to bet on this tie with Real Madrid, we would safely say that Schalke 04 have minimal chances of going through into the next round. They qualified behind Chelsea FC in Group E, precisely the only team to have beaten them in the competition this season. Their opponent on this knockout stage will be the all-mighty Real Madrid, 9-time European champion and currently the second top favorite to win Champions League the trophy in May.Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the charge and his form in the competition has been beyond impressive, even for his standards. He has already scored 9 goals out of the 5 games he has played, setting a new all-time record for the most goals scored during a UEFA Champions League group stage. Just like in previous years, the Merengues have high hopes and expectations that this will be the year they take "La Décima" home [the club's 10th Champions League trophy].

1st Leg (February 26): Schalke 04 vs Real Madrid
2nd Leg (March 18): Real Madrid vs Schalke 04

Zenit vs Borussia Dortmund

When we look at the UEFA Champions League Group G and Group F, we can't help but to feel a little taste of injustice. While Zenit qualified by finishing second in their group after completing 6 points that resulted of 1 win and 3 draws, Napoli in Group F went out of the competition after finishing third with 12 points and earning 4 wins. That's just the way it is though and Zenit will now have to do a lot better if they want to have legitimate hopes of beating Borussia Dortmund, precisely the side who finished on top of Group F, tied in points [12] with both Arsenal and Napoli. Jurgen Klopp's pupils seem to have lost some of the gas they have always had in the tank last season, but they are still a force to be reckoned and respected in this competition. They will eagerly look to do better than last season, when they finished as the runners-up on the UCL final against Bayern Munich.

1st Leg (February 25): Zenit vs Borussia Dortmund
2nd Leg (March 19): Borussia Dortmund vs Zenit

Arsenal vs Bayern Munich

The Gunners could hardly have asked for a more difficult campaign so far in the UEFA Champions League. They first had to deal with this year's group of death, where they've managed to beat every team at least once. They managed to finish second, tied in points with Borussia Dortmund and Napoli and now they got drawn with the competition's main favorites, the reigning champions Bayern Munich. Arsene Wenger's men have had a great start this season and despite their loss against Manchester City last weekend, they are still leading the English Premier League, 2 points clear of the chasing peloton. But it's also fair to say that if Wenger has reasons to be upset with the outcome of the draw, so does Pep Guardiola. Bayern Munichlook as strong (if not stronger) than last season and having in mind that they have won a historic treble with Jupp Heynckes just a few months ago, that's probably enough of a statement already to show how impressive and powerful they are these days.

1st Leg (February 19): Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
2nd Leg (March 11): Bayern Munich vs Arsenal

Cristiano Ronaldo next game for Real Madrid will be against Olimpic Xativa for the Copa del Rey, this next Wednesday (December 18, 2013). You can watch Real Madrid vs Olimpic Xativa, Barcelona vs Cartagena, Stoke City vs Manchester United and Sunderland vs Chelsea, all matches provided from oursoccer live section.

Real Madrid next game:

Real Madrid vs Olimpic Xativa kick-off time (14-12-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 02:30

Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 21:30

Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 20:30
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 16:30
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 15:30
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 12:30
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 03:30

Sources: ronaldo7.net / uefa.com / theguardian.com / espnfc.co.uk / mirror.co.uk

Ronaldo, Bale and Co celebrate Real Madrid's Christmas party in style

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 02:30:00 +0000

No fancy dress or drunken antics here! See Ronaldo, Bale and Co celebrate Real Madrid's Christmas party in style

Whereas Christmas party season in the Premier League is guaranteed to give club managers a sleepless night worrying over what the next day's revelations may bring, La Liga's festive get together was celebrated in far more sophisticated fashion.

There were no ludicrous fancy dress outfits, gaggles of wannabe WAGs or drunken players reacquainting themselves with their meals when Real Madrid's players came together bringing good tidings to all men on Monday afternoon.

Just the thought of scheduling a Christmas party for Monday lunchtime would seem alien to most Brits, but the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Gareth Bale congregated for a subdued affair at the Bernabeu.

Looking sharp: (L-R) Gareth Bale, Marcelo, basketball player Dontaye Draper and Luka Modric didn't wear fancy dress

Tea total: Cristiano Ronaldo (right) and basketball player Marcus Slaughter surrounded by empty glasses

Hair raising: Gareth Bale (right) shares a joke with Brazilian Marcelo - but neither look like they'll wake with a sore head tomorrow

All the president's men: Florentino Perez (centre) chats with Marcelo and Gareth Bale

Los Blancos' finest footballers were joined by stars from the club's basketball team including Marcus Slaughter and Dontaye Draper.

Club ambassador Zinedine Zidane appeared smaller than life alongside living giants Salah Mejri and Ioannis Bourousis - who play for the team that reached basketball's equivalent of the Champions League final last season before losing to Olympiakos.

And, in case anyone decided to step out of line, the club's hierarchy including manager Carlo Ancelotti and president Florentino Perez watched over proceedings like a convention of Godfathers at the head table.

Cut down to size: Zinedine Zidane (centre) looks small with basketball players Salah Mejri (left) and Ioannis Bourousis

Godfather table: President Florentino Perez (centre), manager Carlo Ancelotti (left) and basketball coach Pablo Laso oversee events

Mingling: President Florentino Perez talks with Raphael Varane (left) and Alvaro Arbeloa (right)

Team building: Players of Real Madrid basketball and football teams attend the Real Madrid Christmas lunch at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu

Cristiano Ronaldo's new gears make him clear favourite for the Ballon d'Or

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 Dec 2013 16:04:00 +0000

Ego, genius and maturity have put Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of his game, likely to be acknowledged with the award in January

By now you may have seen the photograph that helps to define the player Cristiano Ronaldo has become. He is bearing down on goal, sprinting through the Sweden defence, and in the background Hugo Almeida is already celebrating, 30 yards back in Portugal's half. Almeida knows what is coming next. Ronaldo has not even decided which corner he fancies and his team-mate's arms are up, in anticipation of the goal.

That was certainly some calling-card Ronaldo left in Stockholm and the timing of his latest hat-trick makes it almost inevitable the Ballon d'Or will follow. Ronaldo qualified for greatness long ago but an already supreme operator has touched a level recently that makes everyone around him look vulnerable to his force. The new dimensions have coincided with Fifa's voting process for the right to be regarded as the outstanding player in the world, and the speed, power and beauty of movement and assurance surely mean he can attend the ceremony this time without photographers gathering round at the crucial moment to capture the first flicker of sourness.

Better than Lionel Messi? That is like comparing the world's most beautiful sunsets and it would be nice sometimes if the arguments allowed more for there being two superstars at the same time, with barely the width of a cigarette paper between them. Marcelo Bielsa, quoted in Sid Lowe's Fear and Loathing in La Liga, had it spot on when he asked why football required this mano-a-mano contest: "The problem with choosing the best is that, rather than being a eulogy for the man you choose, it can appear a rejection of the man you didn't."

Yet Ronaldo has the momentum and, though he has not always been easy to love, it is not necessarily a bad thing for his performance that his ego is considerable enough to bring to mind the old Clive James line about Peter Sellers. Ronaldo does not just believe the world revolves him, he thinks the cosmos does too.

It is part of what makes him brilliant and, in the bluntest terms, we are still waiting for someone to rationalise his gifts more concisely than Sam Allardyce after a 4-1 defeat for Bolton at Manchester United in 2007, when the visiting manager decided Henrik Pedersen, a striker, should have a go at right-back. Pedersen lasted 28 minutes against the young Ronaldo before being taken off. He sat in the dugout with a towel over his head and Allardyce was asked afterwards whether he was worried his player might have psychological scars. "Scars?" he replied. "We're going to need a fucking plastic surgeon after that."

The list of opponents and managers who can testify to the same is permanently on the rise and that presumably should be reflected in the Ballon d'Or voting. Since signing his new contract at Real Madrid in mid-September Ronaldo has elevated the art of running with the ball, making training-ground cones out of defenders and scoring from any distance or angle to its highest level. It is a blur of improvisational brilliance that has taken his goals total to 67, and counting, in 2013. Back in Manchester his former club have managed 54 and no longer have anyone to fill the No7 jersey he wore with distinction. Ronaldo has 10 more goals this year than Manchester City and Chelsea and, incredibly, 27 more than Tottenham Hotspur.

Equally it cannot be taken for granted when Franck Ribéry, a lesser player in a superior team, was the bookmakers' choice until recently and Fifa's voting system, for national team managers, captains and various journalists, features enough politics to make the Eurovision Song Contest seem a bastion of fair-mindedness.

Bruno Alves, Portugal's captain and Ronaldo's team-mate, left Messi out of his top three last year. Messi had Argentina's vote and Ronaldo missed the cut. Mirko Vucinic voted for Gianluigi Buffon, with Andrea Pirlo as runner-up, the common denominator being they all play for Juventus. Joachim Löw went for Mesut Özil and Manuel Neuer. Alejandro Sabella nominated Messi and Sergio Aguero. Vicente del Bosque? Iker Casillas, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández, naturally. Erik Hamren? Well, take a guess who Sweden's manager selected. Clue: his first name starts with Z.

Then there are the votes that simply defy logic. Winfried Schäfer, the Thailand coach, picked Sergio Busquets. Jaba Kankava, Georgia's captain, went for Wayne Rooney, who barely got a look-in at his club's own awards. Christian Fuchs, the Austria captain, Vixay Phaphouvaninh of Laos and Palestine's Fahed Attal included Mario Balotelli, when the Manchester City player had started 11 Premier League games and frazzled his club to the point Roberto Mancini was close to disowning him.

None of this presumably will matter a great deal to Ronaldo if he can end Messi's four-year winning sequence at the Kongresshaus in Zurich on 13 January. His phenomenal, upward trajectory, from already formidable levels, encapsulates why Luca Caioli, trying to find a title for his Ronaldo biography, settled on The Obsession for Perfection and, though the opening line – "I love being Cristiano Ronaldo" – says a lot about the man, he can get away with it when the touches of genius are so beautifully packaged.

At times, early in his career, it was easy to have a higher opinion of Ronaldo as a footballer than a man. A friend was at Carrington one day when Sir Alex Ferguson walked on to the training pitches carrying a pair of spectacles and asked if anyone knew who had lost them. This was in Ronaldo's final year at Old Trafford, when he frequently gave the impression his move to Madrid could be hurried through. "He looked straight past Ferguson," the witness reports. "It was a look that said: 'Don't bother me with that kind of question. Not me. Not Cristiano, superstar.'"

Those of us at Carrington before the 50th anniversary of the Munich disaster, to hear from the dignified, elderly men who had survived the plane crash, were not exactly thrilled with his behaviour either when he turned up at the door, rapping impatiently on the window, and whistling sheepdog-style for the press officer to wrap it up because Rooney, who had joined Sir Bobby Charlton and the other players from 1958, was supposed to be giving him a lift home. Ronaldo that day, dressed in all-white denim, demonstrated all the worst excesses of the modern-day footballer. Yet the journalists who cover Real Madrid every week faithfully report there are signs of a new, mature Ronaldo, perhaps as a legacy of fatherhood and the arrival of his son, Cristiano junior.

There is still the occasional diva moment but his brilliance tends to smooth out the rough edges and, at the risk of sounding overly cynical, the Ronaldo bandwagon has cleverly exploited his outrage since Sepp Blatter went public with his preference for Messi and brainlessly fell into the kind of trap Bielsa was talking about.

Blatter has been skating on thin ice for a long time now and Ronaldo will no doubt be in the stampede to hear the splash when Fifa's president finally falls through.

The important thing is that, since then, Ronaldo has done just about everything humanly possible to produce his very best work. It is some portfolio, in keeping with A Bola's front-page headline after he had navigated Portugal's passage to the World Cup. "O Maior!" the newspaper proclaimed. It translates as: The best! Ronaldo – 28, playing at the point of maximum expression – will no doubt share the opinion.

Riley's reputation takes a dive as

he

gets it wrong on retrospective action

The Premier League has reported a drop in the number of diving incidents this season and there is an obvious joke in there surely, when Gareth Bale has moved to Real Madrid and Luis Suárez has missed the first five games through suspension.

By the first week of November, there had been six cases of simulation, with five players shown yellow cards: Leighton Baines, Marouane Chamakh, Andros Townsend, Adnan Januzaj and, inevitably, Ashley Young. Ashley Cole got away with one for Chelsea at Manchester United, according to the evaluation reports put together by a team of seven former referees, and Micah Richards will be added to the list, from Manchester City's game at Sunderland two weeks ago, when the figures are next updated. So can Ross Barkley after his booking in the Merseyside derby. Last season, however, it was 17 at the same stage, so there is something to be said about the way English football, for the most part, is not willing to tolerate players trying to deceive referees.

All the same, it is strange the relevant authorities are still so reluctant to listen to managers such as David Moyes and Tony Pulis and push for retrospective punishments. "Five years ago Italy had it," Mike Riley, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, explained, "but the policy was disbanded after three weeks. They stopped it because nobody could agree what was, and what wasn't, a dive." Not true. The law is still in place in Italy, where Adriano, Leonardo Bonucci and Milos Krasic have all been banned since 2007. Plenty of others have escaped without punishment and the system is clearly not flawless, with all the decisions taken by Gianpaolo Tosel, as the giudice sportivo of Serie A, and the rules applied with extreme inconsistency.

Yet there is at least a system of sorts and the people putting together the Premier League data do not seem to have found it too difficult to reach a group decision.

Riley went on to say that Fifa would not allow retrospective action but, again, that is not the case. The Scottish Football Association, for example, decided a while back to punish divers on video evidence. Similar schemes apply in Australia and Major League Soccer. There really is no credible reason why it cannot happen in England as well.

Time to push the envelope into bin

Memo to football managers: the envelope trick was good in its day but, after all these years, it is probably time now to realise the next guy to try it might be laughed out of town.

By now, you will know the one. Sir Alex Ferguson used it after an early title at Manchester United, telling his team he had sealed in the names of three players he suspected might let him down (in other words, make sure it is not you).

Brendan Rodgers plainly thought everyone had forgotten when he dusted it off at Anfield and now, pressed on that memorable scene from Being Liverpool, there was a lovely flash of those brand‑new teeth as he let us into the secret. "There were no names!" Whoever would have known?

Forget Twitter and Facebook, Cristiano Ronaldo launches his OWN social network

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 14:43:00 +0000

The Portuguese superstar is gradually

taking over the world and is now setting

sail into the world of social media.

He may have 23 million followers on Twitter, but that is apparently not enough for Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Real Madrid superstar already has legions of fans, a jewellery collection and his own underwear range, but now he has launched his latest venture - his very own social network.

The Facebook-like site allows his millions of devoted fans a platform to worship him further, by sharing photos and videos and get together for discussions all about CR7.

The website, VivaRonaldo.com, promises followers the chance to meet the Portuguese, access exclusive content and even an opportunity to play with the man himself.

"It is a unique experience that we are offering my fans from around the world," he added.

Ronaldo has been in stunning form so far this season and is favourite to claim the upcoming Ballon d'Or early in the New Year.

The former Manchester United man has netted an incredible 26 goals in just 20 games, including three as he almost single-handedly dragged Portugal to the World Cup by overcoming Sweden last month.

In less than 5 seasons, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a total of 227 goals for Real Madrid, surpassing the likes of Hugo Sánchez and Emilo Butragueño.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 23:26:00 +0000

1620 days have passed since Cristiano Ronaldo was presented at a jam-packed Santiago Bernabéu, on July 6 of 2009. We've went through the numbers CR7 has achieved during reign at Madrid and it's impressive to see how much he has already achieved in such a short period of time...

Cristiano Ronaldo has been in Real Madrid for close to 5 seasons now. These 5 seasons have been nothing short of sensational for the Portuguese star. Ahead of the2013 FIFA Balon d'Or ceremony where CR7 is the hot favourite to win the award, let us take a look at his amazing stats and numbers with Real Madrid. Despite not having as much team success as he deserves, he remains a brilliant player. The stats and numbers are not able to fully tell the incredible story of Ronaldo in Real Madrid, but it is the closest that one is able to marvel at his class. Viva Ronaldo!

The Real Cristiano - 2013/2014:

#227
In less than 5 seasons, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a total of 227 goals for Real Madrid, surpassing the likes of Hugo Sánchez and Emilo Butragueño.

#218
Ronaldo has played 218 games for Real Madrid since his transfer in 2009. That is more than any other Real Madrid player has played, during the same period.

#100
Against Barcelona, Ronaldo scored his 100th goal for Real Madrid (including friendy matches). The goal was a first-half equaliser in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup tie on 17 August 2011. This was to be the first of many centuries.

#94
In 2009, Real Madrid broke the World record transfer fee in football, by shelling out €94 million to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the Santiago Bernabéu. They certainly don't regret having done it...

#68
In 2013, Ronaldo has scored 68 goals, bettering his previous record of 63 goals in 2012.

#67
Not only CR7 is the king on the pitch, he is also the king of social media. He has 67 million likes on his official Facebook page and 23 million followers on Twitter. Both are the highest for any sports stars.

#60
Ronaldo's most fruitful season with Real Madrid came in 2011-2012, where he netted 60 wonderful goals.

#51
Often being accused as being selfish, Ronaldo has actually assisted for 51 goals over the course of his Real Madrid career.

#23
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 23 hat-tricks for Real Madrid. This is a vast improvement from his time at Manchester United, where he hit only 1 hat-trick despite spending 6 seasons as a Red Devil.

#19
Ronaldo has netted against every team in the current La Liga campaign, after scoring a late penalty against Elche. In fact, he even netted against his own Real Madrid!

#17
Ronaldo is earning a world record €17 million per season after signing a contract extension with Real Madrid in September of 2013.

#15
After his goal against Copenhagen in the 0-2 away win on December 10, Ronaldo now holds the record for the most goals scored in the Champions League through a calendar year, with 15 goals. He overtook Messi's tally of 13, which was set back in 2012.

#12
After his goal against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals from last season, the Portuguese hold the Real Madrid record for the most goals scored in a single Champions League season, with 12 goals.

#10
Ronaldo scored Real Madrid's fastest ever hat-trick when he took just 10 minutes to bag his treble in the 6-2 win against Sevilla in May 2011.

#7
Despite a slow start to the Real Madrid vs Barcelona clashes, CR7 is now the 7th top scorer of "El Clasico", with 12 goals. Piqué, beware!

#5
Ronaldo is currently the 5th top scorer of Real Madrid. The scary part is that he is not finished yet. What are the odds of him breaking Raul's seemingly-impossible record? You would not want to bet against it.

#4
In 4 attempts, CR7 led Real Madrid to 3 Champions League semi-finals. Before his arrival to the Spanish capital, Real Madrid haven't reached the semi-finals since 2004.

#3
During his time in Real Madrid, the 28-year-old Portuguese has won 3 trophies, namely La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup and the Copa del Rey.

#2
Only 2 players in Real Madrid's history have won the European Golden Boot while playing for Real Madrid. They are Hugo Sanchez and Cristiano Ronaldo.

#1
Top of the world! This describes Ronaldo perfectly. In 2013, CR7 has been undisputedly the number one player in the World. No one came close to him, not even Barcelona's Lionel Messi, PSG's Ibrahimovic or Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery. The FIFA Ballon d'Or surely belongs to him now.

After signing a contract extension with Real Madrid which will see him stay at the club until 2018, the next 5 seasons will certainly be bright for both Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo. By the time he leaves the Merengues, CR7 would have broken even more records and created new history pages. He's in a class of his own. Who knows... He may just be the greatest ever Real Madrid player! In Cristiano Ronaldo we trust!

Special thanks to our friends @RMadridCastilla on Twitter, for bringing us this article! Follow them for more daily updates on Real Madrid!
Twitter page: https://twitter.com/RMadridCastilla

Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be for Real Madrid, against Osasuna for the Spanish League, this Saturday (December 14, 2013). You can watch Osasuna vs Real Madrid, Barcelona vs Villarreal, Manchester City vs Arsenal and Chelsea vs Crystal Palace, all matches provided from our soccer live section.

Real Madrid next game:
Osasuna vs Real Madrid kick-off time (14-12-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 21:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 16:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 15:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 11:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 10:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 07:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 22:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net

Copenhagen 0-2 Real Madrid. Ronaldo returns to break UCL record

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 23:12:00 +0000

Copenhagen 0-2 Real Madrid. Ronaldo

returns to break UCL record

There were no surprises in Real Madrid's trip to Denmark, as the Merengues got past Copenhagen with a clean 0-2 win. Cristiano Ronaldo has finally made his return after having picked up an injury in late November. The Portuguese forward and Luka Modric scored the only two goals from the Spanish club last Champions League group stage game.

Real Madrid came out of Denmark with the 3 points in the bag, after beating Copenhagen by 0-2 at the "Parken Stadion". This has been the Merengues last UEFA Champions League group stage game and even though the visitors already had the 1st place secured, Ancelotti didn't want to turn things any easy for the hosts. The main headlines for this game are all about Cristiano Ronaldo, as not only he made his return from a left thigh injury, but he has also set a new record with the 9th goal he scored last night, and that now allows him to have become the highest goalscorer ever in any UEFA Champions League group stage. Luka Modric, who had to leave the pitch after having suffered a knock late in the second half, scored a beautiful opener in the first half and has also managed to sign a great performance against Copenhagen.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Copenhagen vs Real Madrid
Copenahgen 0-2 Real Madrid goals and highlights video:

As usual, Ancelotti made a few rotations when preparing his team for this match against Copenhagen. Without anything at stake but match-prize money and honor, the Italian manager showed how serious he takes this Champions League competition and picked out a very strong line-up, featuring both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. The two players didn't start a game together since that Spanish league game against Almería, on November 23.

The opener came in the 25th minute of the first half, in what was truly a magical moment witnessed at the Parken stadium. Isco was trying to find a breach on Copenhagen's defence close to the left edge of the penalty area, when he suddenly spotted Luka Modric just a few feet away from him. The Spaniard passed him the ball and then Modric quite simply owned the scene from that moment onwards. The former Tottenham midfielder got away from two defenders with a classy backheel touch and then aimed a perfect curled shot into the top left corner of Copenhagen's goal, sending Real Madrid to its first lead of the night.

The second goal would only arrive in the second half, but it actually didn't take too long for it happen... Marcelo found Pepe inside Copenhagen's area with a great long pass, and the Portuguese centre defender rose high to head the ball towards Cristiano Ronaldo. The 28-year old forward showed his usual killer instinct in that area of the field and found no trouble to tap-it in past Wiland, making it 0-2 for Real Madrid. Whatever was the plan the home side had engendered for the second half, they probably had to re-sketch right on that moment.

There would no be no more goals within the minutes the game had left, but it seems worth mentioning that Luka Modric had to leave the pitch injured close to the 82nd minute, even though it didn't look like it could be any serious at all. Ronaldo also had a golden chance to extend his UEFA Champions League goalscoring record, but he missed a penalty-kick in the 89th minute, after a good save from Copenhagen's goallkeeper, Wiland. Cristiano Ronaldo's last penalty miss had been on May 8 of 2013, on a home league game against Malaga that ended with Real Madrid's victory by 6-2. Nevertheless, Real Madrid went through on top of its group and Ronaldo has set a new UEFA Champions League group stage goalscoring record, after scoring 9 goals in 5 games.

Real Madrid line-up vs Copenhagen:

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas

Defenders: Marcelo, Pepe, Nacho, Arbeloa

Midfielders: Xabi Alonso, Modric, Isco

Attackers: Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema.

Match stats provided by www.ronaldo7.net
Copenhagen	vs	Real Madrid
0	Goals	2
9	Shots	15
1	Shots on goal	11
3	Corner kicks	9
20	Fouls commited	11
1	Yellow cards	2
0	Red cards	0
39%	Ball possession	61%

Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be for Real Madrid, against Osasuna for theSpanish League, this Saturday (December 14, 2013). You can watch Osasuna vs Real Madrid, Barcelona vs Celtic, Chelsea vs Steaua Bucuresti and Napoli vs Arsenal, all matches provided from our soccer live section.

Real Madrid next game:

Osasuna vs Real Madrid kick-off time (14-12-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 21:00

Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 16:00

Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 15:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 11:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 10:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 07:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 22:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / realmadrid.com / bbc.co.uk / sports.yahoo.com

2014 FIFA World Cup schedule, dates and fixtures

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 22:57:00 +0000

2014 FIFA World Cup schedule, dates

and fixtures

On December 6 of 2013, FIFA has conducted the group stage draw for the upcoming Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup. A total of 32 teams were split into 8 different groups, each one composed with 4 teams. Only two sides will advance from each group, and those who succeed in doing it, will qualify directly to the final knockout rounds. It all starts in São Paulo on June 12, and it will come to an end on Jule 13 inRio de Janeiro, at the Maracanã stadium.

FIFA World Cup 2014 - Group stages draw:

Group A

Brazil

Croatia

Mexico

Cameroon

Group B

Spain

Netherlands

Chile

Australia

Group C

Colombia

Greece

Ivory Coast

Japan

Group D

Uruguay

Costa Rica

England

Italy

Group E

Switzerland

Ecuador

France

Honduras

Group F

Argentina

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Iran

Nigeria

Group G

Germany

Portugal

Ghana

USA

Group H

Belgium

Algeria

Russia

South Korea

FIFA World Cup 2014 schedule and fixtures:

2014 FIFA World Cup schedule calendar and fixtures
*Date/Time*	*Stage*	*Fixture*	*Home Team*	*Away Team*
12-06-2014	Group A	Game 1	Brazil	Croatia
17:00			Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo

13-06-2014	Group A	Game 1	Mexico	Cameroon
13:00			Estádio das Dunas, Natal

13-06-2014	Group B	Game 1	Spain	Netherlands
16:00			Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

13-06-2014	Group B	Game 1	Chile	Australia
18:00			Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba

14-06-2014	Group C	Game 1	Colombia	Greece
13:00			Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

14-06-2014	Group D	Game 1	Uruguay	Costa Rica
16:00			Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza

14-06-2014	Group D	Game 1	England	Italy
18:00			Arena Amazónia, Manaus

14-06-2014	Group C	Game 1	Ivory Coast	Japan
22:00			Arena Pernambuco, Recife

15-06-2014	Group E	Game 1	Switzerland	Ecuador
13:00			Estádio Nacional, Brasília

15-06-2014	Group E	Game 1	France	Honduras
16:00			Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

15-06-2014	Group F	Game 1	Argentina	Bosnia-Herzegovina
19:00			Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

16-06-2014	Group G	Game 1	Germany	Portugal
13:00			Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

16-06-2014	Group F	Game 1	Iran	Nigeria
16:00			Arena da Baixada, Curitiba

16-06-2014	Group G	Game 1	Ghana	USA
19:00			Estádio das Dunas, Natal

17-06-2014	Group H	Game 1	Belgium	Algeria
13:00			Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

17-06-2014	Group A	Game 2	Brazil	Mexico
16:00			Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza

17-06-2014	Group H	Game 1	Russia	South Korea
18:00			Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba

18-06-2014	Group B	Game 2	Australia	Netherlands
13:00			Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

18-06-2014	Group B	Game 2	Spain	Chile
16:00			Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

18-06-2014	Group A	Game 2	Cameroon	Croatia
18:00			Arena Amazónia, Manaus

19-06-2014	Group C	Game 2	Colombia	Ivory Coast
13:00			Estádio Nacional, Brasília

19-06-2014	Group D	Game 2	Uruguay	England
16:00			Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo

19-06-2014	Group C	Game 2	Japan	Greece
19:00			Estádio das Dunas, Natal

20-06-2014	Group D	Game 2	Italy	Costa Rica
13:00			Arena Pernambuco, Recife

20-06-2014	Group E	Game 2	Switzerland	France
16:00			Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

20-06-2014	Group E	Game 2	Honduras	Ecuador
19:00			Arena da Baixada, Curitiba

21-06-2014	Group F	Game 2	Argentina	Iran
13:00			Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

21-06-2014	Group G	Game 2	Germany	Ghana
16:00			Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza

21-06-2014	Group F	Game 2	Nigeria	Bosnia-Herzegovina
18:00			Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba

22-06-2014	Group H	Game 2	Belgica	Russia
13:00			Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

22-06-2014	Group H	Game 2	South Korea	Algeria
16:00			Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

22-06-2014	Group G	Game 2	USA	Portugal
18:00			Arena Amazónia, Manaus

23-06-2014	Group B	Game 3	Australia	Spain
13:00			Arena da Baixada, Curitiba

23-06-2014	Group B	Game 3	Netherlands	Chile
13:00			Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo

23-06-2014	Group A	Game 3	Croatia	Mexico
17:00			Arena Pernambuco, Recife

23-06-2014	Group A	Game 3	Cameroon	Brazil
17:00			Estádio Nacional, Brazília

24-06-2014	Group D	Game 3	Costa Rica	England
13:00			Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

24-06-2014	Group D	Game 3	Italy	Uruguay
13:00			Estádio das Dunas, Natal

24-06-2014	Group C	Game 3	Japan	Colombia
16:00			Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba

24-06-2014	Group C	Game 3	Greece	Ivory Coast
17:00			Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza

25-06-2014	Group F	Game 3	Nigeria	Argentina
13:00			Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

25-06-2014	Group F	Game 3	Bosnia-Herzegovina	Iran
13:00			Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

25-06-2014	Group E	Game 3	Honduras	Switzerland
16:00			Arena Amazónia, Manaus

25-06-2014	Group E	Game 3	Ecuador	France
17:00			Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

26-06-2014	Group G	Game 3	Portugal	Ghana
13:00			Estádio Nacional, Brasília

26-06-2014	Group G	Game 3	USA	Germany
13:00			Arena Pernambuco, Recife

26-06-2014	Group H	Game 3	South Korea	Belgium
17:00			Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo

26-06-2014	Group H	Game 3	Algeria	Russia
17:00			Arena da Baixada, Curitiba

28-06-2014	Last-16	L16A	1st of Group A	2nd of Group B
13:00			Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

28-06-2014	Last-16	L16B	1st of Group C	2nd of Group D
17:00			Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

29-06-2014	Last-16	L16C	1st of Group B	2nd of Group A
13:00			Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza

29-06-2014	Last-16	L16D	1st of Group D	2nd of Group C
17:00			Arena Pernambuco, Recife

30-06-2014	Last-16	L16E	1st of Group E	2nd of Group F
13:00			Estádio Nacional, Brasília

30-06-2014	Last-16	L16F	1st of Group G	2nd of Group H
17:00			Estádio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre

01-07-2014	Last-16	L16G	1st of Group F	2nd of Group E
13:00			Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo

01-07-2014	Last-16	L16H	1st of Group H	2nd of Group G
17:00			Arenta Fonte Nova, Salvador

04-07-2014	Last-8	L8A	L16E	L16F
13:00			Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

04-07-2014	Last-8	L8B	L16A	L16B
17:00			Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza

05-07-2014	Last-8	L8C	L16G	L16H
13:00			Estádio Nacional, Brasília

05-07-2014	Last-8	L8D	L16C	L16D
17:00			Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador

08-07-2014	Semi-Finals	S1	L8A	L8B
17:00			Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

09-07-2014	Semi-Finals	S2	L8C	L8D
17:00			Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo

12-07-2014	3rd/4th	WC1	S1 Loser	S2 Loser
17:00			Estádio Nacional, Brasília

13-07-2014	Final	WC Final	S1	S2
16:00			Estádio Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro

* All fixtures dates and kickoff infos report to localtimes.

7 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo should win the FIFA Ballon d'Or

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 Dec 2013 23:58:00 +0000

On January 13 of 2014, everyone will know who will get crowned the best football player in the World by taking the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013 home. Right now, no one doubts we have a 3-man race ahead of us, as Cristiano Ronaldo,Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery seem to gather the vast majority of the voters' preferences.

Some of us might not like it for multiple reasons, but the naked truth is that the FIFA Ballon d'Or award still means a lot to most football players, may they admit it or not. On the 13th of January of 2014, FIFA will host their yearly ceremony for the Ballon d'Or 2013 and one of the big question marks is still to know if Cristiano Ronaldo, the main favorite to win this much-wanted award, will even attend the event. The Portuguese star felt highly disrespected when FIFA's president Joseph Blatterallegedly mocked him last October and because of that, he might not even travel toZurich to be present at the awards' gala and ceremony. Nevertheless, he's the strongest contender to win this year's FIFA Ballon d'Or and that's why we've decided to compile a list with the top 7 reasons on why Cristiano Ronaldo should win his second FIFA Ballon d'Or of his career.

Cristiano Ronaldo - Favorite to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013:

#1 - Most goals scored in the 2013 calendar year

We won't get a more straight and objective criteria than this. In 2013, Ribery scored 21 goals for Bayern Munich and France, Messi netted 45 for Barcelona and Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo got 67 for both Real Madrid and Portugal. Only club friendlies records were stripped off from the stats above. Basically,Ronaldo goalscoring tally (67) is higher than Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery goals combined (66).

#2 - Carried Portugal to the World Cup on his own

Certainly no one doubts that if it hadn't been for Ronaldo, Portugal wouldn't have made it to the World Cup. In 2013, CR7 scored 10 goals out of 9 appearances for the "Selecção", 4 of those coming in a decisive 2-leg playoff against Sweden. Messi in the other hand, helped Argentina with his fair share, as they easily cruised past almost every opponent they had to face at the South American qualification group stage. Ribery was also forced to go through an important playoff for France, but didn't exactly play a big part in France's 2nd leg comeback against Ukraine. Similarly to what happens with Messi at the Argentinian National Team, the Bayern Munich winger is also fortunate to be sided by more talented teammates than Ronaldo is in the Portuguese National Team.

#3 - Top goalscorer of the UEFA Champions League

Here's another proof that Ronaldo has done it better than everyone else. The Real Madrid forward finished the last Champions League campaign (2012-13) ahead of all competition, with 12 goals scored during a Merengues campaign that resisted until the semi-finals clash, where they've ended up losing against Borussia Dortmund.Messi was 3rd on this particular record, after having netted 8 goals. However and what seems to have been forgotten by many, is that Franck Ribery has only scored 1 goal, despite Bayern Munich having clinched the Champions League trophy in May. Some of you might immediately argue that the FIFA Ballon d'Or shouldn't only take into consideration how players perform from January to May and that we should also focus on what these players have done at this season's edition. Well, if that's the case, than Ronaldo leaves no room for contest. CR7 is once more this year's top goalscorer in the UEFA Champions League (tied with Ibrahimovic), after having scored 8 goals in the 4 games he has played so far. Messi comes behind on 3rd place with 6, while Ribery didn't get more than 3 goals thus far.

#4 - Odds favorite

It usually means something, as it's supposed to reflect the real chances each player has of winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or. Unlike the other "reasons", this one is actually more of a consequence of Ronaldo's favoritism rather than a factor weighing in at the FIFA Ballon d'Or decision scale. Still, when the market shows off its expectations in such a clear manner, it might affect the voting intentions from the undecided people, may those be the national team captains, coaches or the journalists across the World. On the day we've crossed the voting deadline (November 29), Ronaldo odds to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or were stacked at 1.25, while Messi and Ribery both had a payout factor of 6.00. Things have slightly changed in the last days, but Ronaldo keeps being the favorite with odds set around 1.60 as of today (December 5).

#5 - The delay of FIFA's voting deadline

Ininitally, FIFA had announced that the last day for journalists, national team captains and coaches to all cast their votes for the Ballon d'Or 2013 winner was October 15 of 2013. However and for the first time since we can remember, they've decided to extend the deadline for two more weeks, in order to allow that the 2-leg playoffs for the 2014 World Cup could still weigh in the decision process. It turns out that Ronaldo simply demolished Sweden in those playoffs, first by scoring the winning goal in Lisbon (1-0) and then by netting a memorable hat-trick in Stockholm (2-3), becoming the hero everyone in Portugal always hoped he could become. If this deadline extension has benefited anyone at all, it was undoubtedly Ronaldo, sinceRibery didn't have much influence in France's win against Ukraine and Barça'sLionel Messi didn't even play during this period due to an injury.

#6 - The most 2nd place titles ever for the Ballon d'Or award

There is no other player in football history who has been considered/voted the 2nd best player in the World (on a calendar year) for so many times as Cristiano Ronaldo. We're taking into consideration the old France Football Ballon d'Or [1956-2009] and FIFA World Player [1991-2009] awards, as well as the new and mergedFIFA Ballon d'Or [2009-2012] trophy. If we do account exclusively for the Ballon d'Orresults (and ignore the FIFA World Player results from 1991 to 2009), Cristiano Ronaldo has finished in 2nd place for 4 times already. If we decide to account for the FIFA World Player results between 1991-2009 instead of the old Ballon d'Or on that very same period, Ronaldo ended up earning 3 second places. In either case, no other player in the World has ever finished second more than 2 times, regardless of the counting system. Now you may legitimately ask how does this actually play in Ronaldo's favor to win the FIFA Ballon d'Or this year and here's why: Never before has Ronaldo impressed so much throughout a calendar year as in 2013, especially as he managed to perform at his very best level both on club and national team level. If there's a year where he has outdone himself, it has to be this one (even more than in 2008, which was when he won his first and only FIFA Ballon d'Ortrophy). If he finishes 2nd again after all he has done in 2013, then it seems safe to say that he will never win this award again. And just a quick reminder, people are supposed to cast their votes based on these players' individual performances throughout the year and not the titles each one has won, otherwise we'd have to necessarily be talking about 3 Bayern Munich candidates instead of Ronaldo,Messi and Ribery.

#7 - The "Blatter effect"

On October 25, FIFA president Joseph Blatter attended an event at the Oxford Union Socity, together with a short panel of journalists and students. When answering one of the questions that had been posed to him, Blatter decided to attempt to impersonate Cristiano Ronaldo and make him look like a military commander. His performance was regarded by many as a tremendous act of disrespect towards the Real Madrid star and there was a big wave of consternation against FIFA and its president, right after the footage became public. As a direct result of this, many people who had always been neutral towards Ronaldo's claims about being treated unfairly by FIFA over the past years, suddenly decided to back up and side with Ronaldo. It seems only legitimate to think that among these people we can actually include some of the national teams captains, coaches and journalists that have already casted their vote for the upcoming 2013 FIFA Ballon d'Or.

The FIFA Ballon d'Or 2013 ceremony will be held in Zurich, on January 14, 2014. Whatever the outcome will be, one thing we can all be sure about. Ronaldo has already won the respect and admiration from those who really know how to appreciate football from a neutral standing point and at this stage, no one certainly doubts that he'll go down as one of the greatest football players to have ever stepped onto a football pitch, whether he finishes his career with one Ballon d'Or or a handful of them.

This article was brought to you by Ronaldo7.net and the Europa Casino site.

Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to return from his left thigh injury on the 10th of December of 2013, on the day Real Madrid faces Copenhagen for the final UEFA Champions League group stage fixture. Before that, you can watch Olimpic Xativa vs Real Madrid live, Cartagena vs Barcelona, Manchester United vs Newcastle and Stoke vs Chelsea, all matches provided from our football live stream section.

Real Madrid next game:
Olimpic Xativa vs Real Madrid kick-off time (07-12-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 03:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 22:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 21:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 17:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 16:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 13:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 04:00

Watch Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka crack up after saying Merry Christmas to fans

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 14:21:00 +0000

Watch Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka crack up after saying Merry Christmas to fans

The Portuguese winger and his former Real Madrid team-mate collapse into a fit of laughter at the end of this video.

Click Here to Watch the video

In the run-up to Christmas, we're bringing you a funny festive football video every day until December 25.

Think of it as an advent calendar - a daily treat from us to you. It may not be chocolate, but it's as good as you're getting, sorry.

In today's video, former Real Madrid team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka issue a festive message to fans.

The pair then collapse in fits of laughter, for no apparent reason. Must be something in the Madrid water.

Make sure to come back tomorrow for another treat!

Gareth Bale reveals Cristiano Ronaldo has been showing him the ropes around Madrid

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 22:13:00 +0000

Gareth Bale reveals Cristiano Ronaldo has been showing him the ropes around Madrid

The pair are developing one of the most frightening partnerships in world football inside the Bernebeau stadiumDouble trouble: Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates with Gareth Bale after yet another goal.

The Welshman was the first to admit he was struggling to adjust to life in Spain following his move from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer because of a niggling injury.

But since reaching full fitness the pair have struck up a brilliant relationship on the pitch that is terrorising defences all around Europe.

And Bale revealed that they have also been hanging out away from the pitch as the former Manchester United man shows him around the Spanish capital.

"Cristiano’s been great since I’ve been here and helped me a lot," he told askmen.com. "I think the partnership we’re creating on the pitch is very positive. We’re looking forward to that getting better and better in the future.

"He’s a great support. He’s been brilliant, offering advice and helping me out with the city.

"It’s great here. Obviously now I’m really enjoying it very much. It’s got a bit cold now, but apart from that, it’s fantastic. I just enjoying being out here and playing for Real Madrid.

"The language barrier is obviously something that’s different to what I’m used to. But quite a lot of the players speak English in the changing room and the coach speaks excellent English, so he’s been a great help with that."

And since his move from north London Bale revealed he has been keeping tabs on his old side Spurs, but it has been the form of Southampton where he started his career that has really caught his eye.

"It’s great to see Southampton doing this well," he added. "I just hope they can continue doing what they’re doing and you never know. They’re the surprise package of this season and I really hope they can really shock everyone and achieve something."

Real Madrid fans show support for Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or campaign by holding FACE MASKS

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 16:08:00 +0000

Real Madrid fans show support for Cristiano Ronaldo's Ballon d'Or campaign by holding FACE MASKS

28 Nov 2013 10:27

And it didn't go unnoticed, as the injured winger tweeted: "Thanks to the fans for the great support. I wish I was there helping my team"

Real Madrid supporters left nobody in any doubt as to who they're supporting in this year's Ballon d'Or award after holding aloft face masks of star man Cristiano Ronaldo during last night's match against Galatasaray.

The winger had to settle for a seat in the stands after being ruled out from injury, but it didn't stop thousands of fans showing their support with Ronaldo 7 cards.

Ronaldo is favourite to win this year's player of the year award after another sterling year for his club and country, which included a hat-trick for Portugal against Sweden earlier this month.

And, probably unsurprisingly, the attention didn't go unnoticed by Ronaldo himself.

He tweeted: "Thanks to the fans for the great support. I wish I was there helping my team."

Real Madrid won the match 4-1 - and the winger could be again celebrating if he secures this year's Ballon d'Or too.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Cristiano Ronaldo can have the Ballon d'Or, I already know that I am the best

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 15:28:00 +0000

Zlatan Ibrahimovic: Cristiano Ronaldo can have the Ballon d'Or, I already know that I am the best

Cristiano Ronaldo is favourite to win Fifa's Ballon d'Or award ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Franck Ribery and Lionel Messi

High and mighty: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is very confident in his own ability Photo: REUTERS

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has told Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery they can have the Ballon d'Or because "I know I am the best".

The Swedish striker has been in superb form this year for Paris St Germain, scoring eight goals in this season's Champions League - as many as Ronaldo.

However, the Portuguese has emerged as favourite for Fifa's Ballon d'Or award after netting a hat-trick for his country in last week's 3-2 World Cup play-off victory over Sweden - with Portugal qualifying for the 2014 finals in Brazil.

Meanwhile, France winger Ribery helped Bayern Munich secure the treble last season and was an early favourite for the award, won three times in a row by Barcelona's Lionel Messi, until Ronaldo garnered late support for his performances with Portugal.

"I don't need the Ballon d'Or to know I'm the best," said Ibrahimovic, who played a key role in PSG's Ligue 1 title triumph last season. "It matters more to some players.

"It's not something I think about and it is something that is not important for me."

Cristiano Ronaldo plans to open his own museum in Madeira

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 15:41:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo plans to open his own museum in

Madeira.

Some might say it was about time for Cristiano Ronaldo to finally build a museum and showoff to the public his most important trophies and awards. Even though the 28-year old forward is still far from thinking about putting an end to his succesful career, he has probably done enough already to justify having his own gallery space.

Cristiano Ronaldo's plans to build his own museum have been revealed last week by several Portuguese newspapers and what better time to announce it than now. The Real Madrid forward has almost single-handedly led the Portuguese National Team to the next 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and is currently going through what many believe to be his best form ever [despite his recent left thigh injury]. On top of that, Ronaldo has renewed his bond with Real Madrid last September and his current contract still has 5 years left to be fulfilled. After being featured in theMassame Tussauds museum in London through a wax figure statue/sculpture since last June 2010, Ronaldo will soon be able to delight his worldwide fans thanks to his own musem.

Cristiano Ronaldo - Becoming the best on his own merit:

It's a lot more common to see football clubs opening museums than actually footballers. Maradona has one in Buenos Aires (Argentina), while Pelé also made sure he wouldn't stay behind when he opened his own museum in Santos, Brazil.Cristiano Ronaldo popularity and success have allowed him to also think big and judging by what he has done throughout his career so far, he has no reason to feel any shy even when compared to the greatest football players ever.

Ronaldo will build his museum in Portugal, in his hometown Madeira. The space is planned to have an area close to 300 square meters and it's being built and prepared right in the tourism epicenter of the town, very near to the "Madeira Casino", which is the only physical place where you can actually gamble apart from the "Europa Casino" websites. Even though there are no dates announced for when the museum will be ready to be opened to the public, several Portuguese newspapers are suggesting it could still happen before the end of the year, or in the worst case scenario, in the first months of 2014.

Whether it opens before or after the new year's eve, we can all rest assured that this all new Cristiano Ronaldo museum will establish itself as a new landmark for tourism in Madeira. According to a source close to the Aveiro family, the whole idea started getting shape in Ronaldo's mind and it got immediately backed up by his mother Dolores Aveiro and his football agent, Jorge Mendes. The costs of building this museum are currently being entirely funded by Cristiano Ronaldo himself, who is perfectly aware on how this investment may end up helping boosting the tourism and commerce on his hometown Madeira (Funchal).

The mayor of Funchal has already pronounced himself on these news, rating this investment as something really huge for the city, since it can easily produce a very positive impact in the region's tourism revenues.

Paulo Cafôfo: "Ronaldo was born and raised in this region [Funchal, Madeira], so this would certainly help us at least from a tourism point of view... The City Hall will be willing to support in every field we can, so I can assure you that there won't be any setbacks coming from us".

Who was also keen to speak out about this latest Cristiano Ronaldo investment was the President of the Regional Government of Madeira, Alberto João Jardim, a person with whom it's public that Ronaldo holds a good friendship. The 70-year politician has expressed his happiness and even went further when he admitted that he intends to build a statue in Madeira in order to honor Cristiano Ronaldo, but only after the Portuguese superstar finishes his career.

Alberto João Jardim: "Whenever Ronaldo has success, somehow it also spreads over to his hometown Madeira. The Portuguese National Team depends mainly on him, but in order for Ronaldo to shine there, he will also neeed the contribution from other talented teamamtes. The region name is already strongly linked to Cristiano and that's something that makes us really happy about. I think that whenever Ronaldo decides to end his football career, he deserves that we raise a statue in his honor. However and for now, let's just give him room and space for him to keep bringing success to Portugal", outlined the Portuguese governor.

Thanks for the contribution from Europa Casino, who have helped us by providing part of the media images and story sources for this article.

Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be this Wednesday (November 24, 2013) as Real Madrid takes Galatasaray in another UEFA Champions League fixture. You can watch Real Madrid vs Galatasaray, CSKA vs Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen vs Manchester United and Manchester City vs Viktoria Plzen, all matches provided from our live soccer section.

Real Madrid next game:
Real Madrid vs Galatasaray kick-off time (27-11-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 01:45
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 20:45
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 19:45
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 15:45
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 14:45
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 11:45
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 02:45

Sources: ronaldo7.net / marca.com / dn.pt / sapo.pt

Cristiano Ronaldo ruled out of Real Madrid's Champions League match with Galatasaray

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 14:12:00 +0000

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Wednesday's Champions League game against Galatasaray because of injury

Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal international and Ballon d'Or candidate, who hurt his left hamstring in Saturday's 5-0 victory at Almeria, will miss Real Madrid's Champions League tie with Galatasaray .

Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Ronaldo will miss the Group B match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium but could return for Saturday's Spanish league game against Valladolid.

"Tomorrow he'll start training on the field again and then we'll see if he'll be available on Saturday," Ancelotti said Tuesday. "If there's any risk of injury he won't play. We don't want to take the risk with him of making it worse."

Ancelotti said the injury was not serious. If Ronaldo doesn't play on Saturday, his next game will likely be the last Champions League group match at FC Copenhagen in two weeks because he is suspended for next week's Copa del Rey match against Olimpic Xativa.

Anceloti said either Angel Di Maria or Jese would take Ronaldo's place against the Turkish club.

"I have two options and I'll decide which one tomorrow," Ancelotti said from Madrid's training ground.

Ancelotti said center back Raphael Varane would also likely be unavailable until the next Champions League game in Denmark as he rests a sore right knee. The France defender may need more surgery.

"We had a meeting yesterday with the doctors and the player and we decided his knee needs some time off to rest and recover," the Italian coach said. "For 10 or 12 days he won't play and we hope his knee doesn't swell during this time.

"He won't have surgery, he only needs to rest and that's all."

Madrid is already without injured midfielder Sami Khedira and defender Fabio Coentrao, while midfielder Luca Modric is suspended for the game. But midfielder Xabi Alonso and defender Marcelo were included in the 19-man squad despite injury concerns.

Madrid leads Group B with 10 points and can secure its place in the next round with a draw on Wednesday.

Ronaldo: 'I still don't know if I'll attend the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 22:52:00 +0000

After helping Portugal to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil next summer, Cristiano Ronaldohas returned to Madrid where he still has 8 games left to play before the end of the year. This past Wednesday, CR7 attended an event together with 3 kids that are fighting leukemia and answered all the questions posed with his usual frontality.

This last Wednesday, Cristiano Ronaldo has met with a few kids suffering from leukemia and some journalists at a "Radio Cope" show called "El Partido de las 12". The 28-year old forward talked about the whole process of being a bone marrow donor, his expectations for the upcoming FIFA Ballon d'Or award and how happy he feels for being an important part of Real Madrid's project for the future. Among many other topics, Ronaldo has also revealed that it would be a dream to see his own son Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. becoming a professional football player when he grows up. Check out the full interview below...

The following questions made to Ronaldo were asked by journalists and the kids suffering from leukemia that were present at the "Radio Cope" studios to attend to this event.

Question: Hello Cristiano! How are you doing? It's true you are living a terrific moment in your career, woudn't you agree?

Ronaldo: Yes, I'm going through a great moment on the personal, club and National Team level. Everything is going on my way...

Question: If you go to Portugal these days, they'll probably won't even let you breath due to their excitement...

Ronaldo: "The Portuguese people are very calm actually. I don't think there would be any problem. We can tell that everyone is very happy with us in Portugal and that's good. However, it's a tough period for Portugal with the economic crisis, just like it is in Spain but it a smaller scale, so it feels great to have given a good reason for our people to smile more, at least during those 2 hours of football.

Question: Are you a bone marrow donor?

Ronaldo: "Yes I am, for the past two years already..."

Question: It all started when Carlos Martins son came out to public to announce that his son was suffering from leukemia and needing a bone marrow transplant, isn't that right?

Ronaldo: "Yes, it happened when Carlos Martins was still with us in the Portuguese National Team. He commented with the group that he son was going through a complicated disease and all his teammates immediately wanted to do something to help because we understood how serious the situation was. A lot of people may still think that being a bone marrow donor is a complicated process, but all you have to do is to give blood, which is something that doesn't harm us at all. I've done it a few years ago and if I had to do it again, then I would certainly do it. It doesn't hurt and it's something all of us can do since it can help many people out there, from little kids to grown up adults.

Question: The general public can get frightened and ask themselves 'how will I donate my bone marrow'...

Ronaldo: "That's a perfectly normal situation and I'm here to appeal for everyone to do it, especially here in Spain where millions of people live at and doing it would certainly increase the living chances from those who are suffering from these type of diseases. It really doesn't hurt or cost anything and the person who goes through it will feel better the next day, after knowing that they have done something that can help others.

Question: How many of your Real Madrid teammates have you managed to convince to also be eligible to donate their bone marrow?

Ronaldo: "When we heard about Carlos Martins's son case, we all talked with our teammates and the information I've had is that everyone did it...

Question: When you score a goal, you usually do several gestures and shout "Calma, calma, calma..." ["Calm, calm, calm...]. Why do you do that?

Ronaldo: "It wasn't anything I've planned before. I don't like planning these kind of things. It all started in a game against Barcelona, where everyone in the crowd was already celebrating ahead of time. The gesture was meant to tell people that they should be more calm and patient because the game wasn't over yet, and that I was there feeling capable to still do something to help my club...

Question: Is it true that when you score a goal you say "Yo estoy aqui"? [I am here]

Ronaldo: "I say that in Portuguese. I'm feeling very happy in this club and in thePortuguese National Team and what I want the most is to keep this form until the end of the season."

Question: Do you feel wanted and loved by the Real Madrid fans?

Ronaldo: "A lot. This is my 5th season in Real Madrid. At the start, it's hard for anyone to immediately connect with the crowd in the Bernabéu. It's a very special crowd, with a different culture from other countries. However, when you win theMadridistas' heart, everyone will appreciate and reward you for giving everything for that jersey. It's true that I've struggled a bit to understand the crowd on the pitch during the first years, but then I started thinking that perhaps it was me who was wrong about it, because the way they act is just a reflection of who they are, and this is the Spanish culture. On my third and fourth year, I started understanding connecting a lot better with Real Madrid's identity, both on and off the pitch. I now feel 100% happy at the club. I'm really happy with the people from Madrid, both the "madrileños" and the "madridistas". I'm living a dream every time I step onto theSantiago Bernabéu. I can feel how much the fans want to see me playing and that makes me very happy. I want to stay at this club for a very long time and I want to respect my current contract with Real Madrid [ends in 2018], because quite simply, there's no bigger club than this one...

Question: Right now, do you feel you are the biggest idol from the "Madridismo" ?

Ronaldo: "Yes, I feel a great joy from the fans, especially in those moments when I'm outside the stadium. It might be something weird to say, but I feel great when I'm off the pitch socializing with people. On the streets, both the adults and the young kids make me feel I'm very wanted here and they approach me as if I was like any other normal person...

Question: Doesn't that make you feel overwhelmed sometimes?

Ronaldo: "Usually you say that there is a lot more respect in England than there is here, but it's a different kind of respect in my opinion. It's just different cultures and we just have to get used to that. You have to bring the fans to your side by what you do on the pitch and you have to give everything you got for the club. However and after you do that, you'll always have to keep a high level of professionalism so that people don't forget what you've done for the club. I'm not saying this just thinking about my own case. I appreciate that when others look at me, they see how professional I am and how I'm willing to give everything I have for my club.

Question: Would you like to retire in Madrid?

Ronaldo: "Yes, that's a possibility. I don't think much about the future though, because I rather think about the present. However, when the present is good, when you feel happy where you are and motivated to do your work, then the future doesn't worry you that much. The truth is that in these moments, I feel like I want to end my career here because I'm immensely happy at this club, I love living in Madrid, playing at the best club in the World and I simply can't ask for more than this.

Question: Do you think you have reached a level as a footballer, which you simply can't improve further?

Ronaldo: "In my head, I always think I can get better. My main goal and ambition is to always improve. However, it's natural that we end up reaching a certain level which is very hard to surpass, but I always like to think I'll manage to be better. Right now, I'm feeling very well prepared and it's possible that I'm going through one of the best moments in my football career. I'm at a very high level and I hope to maintain it until the end of my career.

Question: But do you feel like you are the best football player in the World right now?

Ronaldo: "I think I am and not only this year... I've had to show a very high level of football for the past years and it's no coincidence that I am where I am today. Since I got to Madrid, I've always had to show everyone that they could count on me. But as I said many times in the past, I can't please every single person...

Question: Don't you think you've changed your image a bit and that now you have less people thinking bad things about you?

Ronaldo: "I try not to think much about those things. My focus is always about what I do on the pitch. However, if we're capable of improving off the pitch, then it's also important of course. Perhaps my age and experience now help me seeing things in a different manner. Perhaps I now think differently from what I did 4 years ago and now I don't make certain mistakes... That's just part of my development and I feel I am better prepared these days, so I'm naturally happier than before.

Question: How many hours do you dedicate to training evey day, in order to keep such a good shape?

Ronaldo: "I always try to work and train very well. Therefore, I try to be the most professional I can be in everything I do. It's normal that sometimes things won't go the way we want, but throughout the year I always try to keep my daily routines, regardless of the team we are going to play against. I always prepare myself the same way, may the game be against Osasuna or Barça.

Question: What would go through your mind, if at the best moment of your career, you would get diagnosed with leukemia?

Ronaldo: "It would be a very complicated situation to handle. I've seen it happening with Carlos Martins' son and I've heard your stories, so it's definitely something I just wish to be fortunate that never happens with myself or anyone from my family. A disease of this kind is always something very delicate. I understand the struggles you're going through and to me, you are the real heroes, because to be able to fight against such an adversity must take a lot of strength both physically and psychologically. I really admire people like you and I hope that neither me or any of my family members ever has to go through something like this. I can only hope God to be generous...

Question: Would you like your son to become a professional football player?

Ronaldo: "I would be delighted, that's the truth. When he was 2 years old, he loved cars. Now that he's a bit older, he's always obsessed with the football and telling me 'Daddy, daddy, let's go play'. And I simply can't tell him no, because my dream is to watch him playing. He has already been surprising me at such a very young age. The other day he asked me to get him his first football boots with studs. He's already kicking the ball very well, and I can tell you I'm very excited with him!"

Question: If you do end up winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or, would you dedicate it to the kids that are suffering or already suffered from leukemia?

Ronaldo: "I can tell it in front of all of you... If that happens, you're all invited to come to my party!"

Question: You almost never get injured, neither you struggle a lot with physical problems. How do you manage to do it?

Ronaldo: "Thank God I don't get injured that often, but I think these things don't happen by chance. If you train well, then you're less likely to pick up injuries. I dedicate 100% to my football activity. But maybe God is also generous with me on that and helps me keeping away from serious injuries.

Question: Are you planning on attending the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony?

Ronaldo: "I don't think a lot about the FIFA Ballon d'Or award. I'm perfectly aware that the ceremony will be hosted in January, but I can't tell you right away if I'll be attending it or not. I will prefer not to say anything on that regard for now, because it doesn't depend only on me. But I'm not obsessed with the Ballon d'Or. Let's wait to see how it's going to roll out...

A Special thanks to the sports editor from "Casino Spesialisten", for helping with part of the questions and answers translation task that was needed for the writing of this article.

Cristiano Ronaldo next match for Real Madrid will be against Almería for the Spanish League 'La Liga', this Saturday (November 23, 2013). You can watchAlmería vs Real Madrid live, Barcelona vs Granada stream, West Ham vs Chelsea live and Everton vs Liverpool live, all matches provided from oursoccer live section.

Real Madrid next game:
Almeria vs Real Madrid kick-off time (23-11-2013):

Jakarta (Indonesia) | GMT+7: 01:00
Spain (Madrid) | GMT+2: 20:00
Portugal and England (Lisbon/London) | GMT+1: 19:00
Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) | GMT-3: 15:00
New York (United States) | GMT-4: 14:00
Los Angeles (United States) | GMT-7: 11:00
Beijing (China) | GMT+8: 02:00

Sources: ronaldo7.net / marca.com / cope.es

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography Video 2013 HD

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 22:40:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo Biography Video 2013 HD

Cristiano Ronaldo Moments 2013

2013 Year of Cristiano Ronaldo

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 14:43:00 +0000

The show was not over. As Ronaldo fielded questions his son first urged him to call things to a close with a "Let's go, daddy", and then had the press corps in stitches with: "Is it tonight that I sleep with you, daddy?" Ronaldo did his best to continue but was also struggling to stop laughing.

People have drawn certain conclusions about the 28-year-old Real Madrid forward since his move away from Manchester United in 2009.

The famous "I'm sad" comment 14 months ago that seemed to be rooted in dissatisfaction at not being the world's best-paid player; and statements such as "People boo me because I'm rich, good-looking and a great player" reinforce the perception. A one hundred-foot high billboard poster of him modelling his latest line of underwear that hangs close to Madrid's municipal hall perhaps does not help.

But there has been an image makeover in the last 12 months and his real personality has broken through to win over many of the previously unconverted.

It was at the start of last season, after a routine win over Granada in which he had scored twice but not celebrated, that Ronaldo told reporters: "I am sad." Before the game he had called an impromptu meeting with Real's president, Florentino Perez, and told him he wanted to leave. Perez's response amounted to: "Find someone who'll pay me the money to sign Lionel Messi and you can go."

The picture painted of Ronaldo in the days following his declaration of discontent was one of a lonely male diva. It suggested his daily routine of driving from his residence on the private estate of La Finca on the outskirts of Madrid to the club's Valdebebas training complex on the other side of town was only occasionally broken by an ill-fated attempt at enjoying life in the Spanish capital.

National newspaper El Mundo suggested he had taken Russian girlfriend Irina Shayk to the theatre to see The Lion King, entering with sunglasses on when the lights had already been dimmed, only to leave before the interval because he had been swamped by fans demanding photos and autographs despite his requests to be left in peace.

Constant pestering in public had stopped him going to his favourite local restaurant from where he now had his food delivered; and he spent afternoons working out alone in his private gym to the point where the club were concerned that he was overdoing things and increasing the chances of injury.

There were perhaps shades of exaggeration in that image, no doubt helped along by those in the club wishing to portray Ronaldo as the bad guy in the cold war over his new contract. But there were other signs that all was not well.

In a dressing room fractured by the combustive presence of Jose Mourinho, he had become withdrawn, having fallen out with close friend Marcelo. Ronaldo's relationship with the Spain players in Madrid's squad had also been strained by Portugal's European Championship semi-final defeat to them, after which, unlike team-mate Pepe, he did not go into the victors' dressing room to congratulate Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos.

Racing to 151 goals in his first 150 games had done nothing to endear him to Real supporters – some even whistled him during one game. And people were upset that despite earning around €27,000 (£22,700) a day – 1.5 times what the average Spaniard (if they were not among the five million unemployed) earned in a year – he wanted a new contract that would improve his €10m (£8.4m) a year salary.

The makeover since then has been stunning. He got the new deal and now earns €17m (£14.3m), net making him the world's highest-paid player, despite the fact that Madrid pay the 52 per cent tax on the salary meaning it costs them almost €40m (£33.6m) a year. But respect has been earned, too.

He stood up to Mourinho in that crash-and-burn final year under the now Chelsea manager. The image of Ronaldo and Mourinho stood on either side of the Bernabeu tunnel ahead of the coach's last game – with not a glance or a word exchanged between them –spoke volumes. The two had clashed in one of many behind-closed-doors exchanges and he had surprised team-mates by standing his ground.

He was looking back up the stairs that lead away from the pitch to Ramos and Casillas, whom he had long since made peace with. They remain Real Madrid's first and second captains but when neither plays Ronaldo wears the armband, and has become the club's leader on the pitch and in the dressing room. No one at the club has made Gareth Bale feel more at home in his first three months in Spain.

The chants of "Cristiano Ronaldo Ballon d'Or" that came from all four sides of the stadium when he scored the 23rd hat-trick of his Madrid career two weeks ago against Real Sociedad laid down another marker. Ridiculously hard to please, those same supporters also waited outside of the players' exit after the game to sing the same song.

Even in Barcelona there has been a change of opinion. It has not been forgotten that he remained on the periphery of the various Clasico pitched battles with his dignity intact. He will never be their prince charming but he is no longer the pantomime villain he once was – if you like football, it's hard not to like Ronaldo, even in Catalonia.

He wore designer glasses for the press conference that marked his new contract back in August. What might once have been another pretentious stunt actually had comic value as he drew them down the bridge of his nose so as to get reporters in the press conference into focus.

He has stopped taking himself so seriously. The military-salute celebration in the game that followed Sepp Blatter calling him El Comandante at the Oxford Union showed as much. He reacts better than ever to the teasing chants of "Messi, Messi". The Swedes tried that in Stockholm on Tuesday and paid for it with a hat-trick and World Cup elimination.

Messi was asked at his Golden Boot award ceremony if he thought this was Ronaldo's finest hour. He surprised everyone by saying he felt Ronaldo had been playing this well for the last few years. The Argentine's domination of the Golden Ball is about to come to an end.

"Is he going to play for Portugal one day?" reporters asked Ronaldo last week as he walked past them with his son. "He never stops asking me for the ball but it's a bit early to say," he replied. Ronaldo is the daddy now. No doubt the Ballon d'Or count that makes him Fifa's World Player for 2013 in January will confirm that.

The boys not going to Brazil: Great players missing the World Cup

Zlatan Ibrahimovic "A World Cup without me is nothing to watch," the Swedish striker said, but after drawing blanks in 2002 and 2006 the chance to score at a finals has gone.

Robert Lewandowski One of the most accomplished strikers in Europe and all set for a move to Bayern Munich, yet misses out again after Poland's poor qualification campaign.

David Alaba Austria have not qualified for a World Cup since 1998 despite the efforts of Alaba, Bayern Munich's talented left-back, who plays in central midfield for his country.

Gareth Bale Like his compatriot Ryan Giggs, the world's most expensive player may never grace a World Cup finals given Wales' mediocre record in qualification.

Cristiano Ronaldo Helps Real Madrid Defeat Real Sociedad

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 19 Nov 2013 00:27:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo Helps Real Madrid Defeat Real Sociedad

Cristiano Ronaldo is all eyes on the ball while playing in a soccer game with Real Sociedad on Saturday (November 9) in Madrid, Spain.

The 28-year-old soccer star helped his Real Madrid teammates win by a final score of 5-1.

A few weeks ago, Cristiano was suave while promoting his new underwear line CR7 By Cristiano Ronaldo.

Cristiano will play his next soccer game against Almería on Saturday, November 23.

10+ pictures inside of Cristiano Ronaldo playing soccer against Real Sociedad in Spain…

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noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Nov 2013 12:58:00 +0000

The first step to book a ticket to Brazil's World Cup next summer was given last night inLisbon, after Portugal pulled off a very important 1-0 win against Sweden. Cristiano Ronaldo was once more the hero in service, scoring the winner already inside the last 10 minutes of the game. We'll still have to wait for next Tuesday in order to know who will travel toBrazil in June though...

Many people have previewed that this Portugal vs Sweden first leg clash would end up coming down to a head-to-head duel between Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldoand PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimovic. If that actually had any truth in it, then it's safe to say that Ronaldo won round 1, after having delivered the winner to his nation, already very close to the dying minutes of the game. Portugal picked up a crucial but narrow win, beating Sweden in Lisbon by 1-0 and assuring what could be a vital advantage ahead of a thrilling 2nd leg that will be played in Solna, next Tuesday. There's only room for one and Portugal doesn't want to miss this unique opportunity to be a part of the World Cup party in Brazil, scheduled for the two months of June and July of 2014.

Cristiano Ronaldo game photos in Portugal vs Sweden
Portugal 1-0 Sweden goals and highlights video:

Nothing new in Paulo Bento's approach before this home game against Sweden, asPortugal went into the 1st leg of the playoff with its most predictable line-up. Patríciowas the chosen goalkeeper, while Real Marid's Fábio Coentrão managed to recover just in time for this game in order to take the left wing at the back. In the centre,Pepe and Bruno Alves made a strong partnership to block the Swedish intents, withValencia's João Pereira taking the right wing. Midfield was filled with the usual trio:Miguel Veloso, João Moutinho and Raúl Meireles. As the for attacking line, Bentodecided to leave it for Manchester United's Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Hélder Postiga.

Portugal needed a strong start and that's precisely want Paulo Bento's men went after, right from the kickoff whistle. The game promised to have a heavy tactical component and no one was actually expecting many goals to be pouring like rain. With that in mind, scoring first could very well end up being decisive and that's what both teams have seeked with caution, at least throughout most of the game.

Both sides managed to create great goalscoring chances during the first 45 minutes, with Portugal wasting a 1-on-1 situation when AS Monaco's João Moutinho found himself with only Isaksson in front of him. Nevertheless, Sweden didn't lose much time to respond, and they hit back with a couple of chances finished by Elmander andKallstrom. Neither of the sides got to break the deadlock before the break though and we were in for a second half marked by a lot of nerves and a clear fear of committing mistakes.

With so much at stake in a single playoff round, this was the perfect moment for heroes to rise to the occasion. That's what Portuguese and Swedish people were expecting from both Ronaldo and Zlatan at least, but fortunately for the home side, only the first responded to the calling. The Portuguese superstar showed his full availability to put his qualities at the service of his own nation and that ended up paying off later in the game, as he was the one delivering the winner with a great header finish well inside the 12-yards box.

It all went down on the 82nd minute, when Miguel Veloso found some space on the left to put in a great cross with his left foot and with that, assisting Cristiano Ronaldo for a very close range header. As we all know by now, there are not many weaknesses in Ronaldo's game and headers are surely nothing where he needs to improve at. With this CR7 goal, Portugal had finally got in front in a crucial moment of the game and the whole team appearted to be highly determinted in not giving away the lead from that point onwards.

The Portuguese National Team held on the 1-goal lead for those final minutes of the game and they made sure that at least their trip to Sweden will be made with a tight cushion. No one will surely expect an easy game next Tuesday when Sweden takes Portugal at home for the FIFA World Cup 2nd leg playoff, but once again, all Portuguese hopes and dreams of being present in Brazil next summer will be put on Cristiano Ronaldo shoulders.

Portugal line-up vs Sweden:

Goalkeeper: Rui Patrício
Defenders: Fábio Coentrão, Pepe, Bruno Alves, João Pereira
Midfielders: Miguel Veloso, João Moutinho, Raúl Meireles
Attackers: Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo, Hélder Postiga.

Portugal next game:Cristiano Ronaldo next game will be for Portugal, against Sweden for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Playoffs, this Tuesday (November 19, 2013). You can watch Sweden vs Portugal, Guinea vs Spain, England vs Germany and France vs Ukraine, all matches provided from our soccer live section.

Sweden vs Portugal kick-off time (19-11-2013):

Sources: ronaldo7.net / bleacherreport.com / foxsports.com / bbc.co.uk

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noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:59:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo's Girlfriend is Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Cover Girl

Cristiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend, Irina Shayk has had one heck of a career boost since she started dating the soccer star.

Don’t get me wrong, she is one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen, but no one really knew who she was last year.

Technically, he did us all a favor by making her famous. Now we all get to feel really bad about ourselves because she’s that close to perfection.

The 25-year old Russian is this year's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition cover girl. Irina learned that she had been chosen to be the cover girl during the taping of David Letterman.

"There were 10 models there to do the Top 10 List, and nobody knows until the last minute who the cover will be," Shayk said. "And then I saw it, and I couldn't believe it."

Congrats! Now, you’ve got millions of guys gawking at you and millions of girls envying you! That’s a dream job if you ask me!

If you wanna read up on Irina Shayk or see more hot photos, you can visit our sister site Captain WAG.

Cristiano Ronaldo happy with first season at Real Madrid

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 May 2010 09:42:00 +0000

Cristiano Ronaldo happy with first season at Real Madrid

• Ronaldo says he is confident he will win titles at Madrid
• Player gives his backing to coach Manuel Pellegrini

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 26 goals in 28 La Liga games for Real Madrid this season. Photograph: Andres Kudacki/AP

Cristiano Ronaldo is satisfied with his first season at Real Madrid even though it looks destined to end trophyless. The 25-year-old has scored 26 goals in 28 La Liga games since moving to the Bernabéu from Manchester United for a world-record £80m last summer.

Madrid head into this weekend's final round of fixtures a point behind Barcelona. Manuel Pellegrini's side must win at Málaga and hope Barça fail to beat Real Valladolid at Camp Nou if they are to pip their rivals to the title.

Regardless of the outcome this weekend, though, Ronaldo is content with how things are progressing in the Spanish capital.

"I really enjoyed the season that I've done, but what's missing is winning a title," he said. "I'm very happy here in Madrid and my team-mates have helped me a lot, but the team has not won anything. We have to keep fighting and I am confident we will win many titles (in future)."

Of this term's final weekend, he added: "It's hard to win the league, but in football anything can happen. Mathematically it is possible. We have to win in Málaga and see what happens in Barcelona. We must have hope."

Ronaldo considers the Champions League exit - at the last-16 stage to Lyon in March - the biggest disappointment of his first 12 months in Spain.

"It was very bad, very difficult, but the circumstances must be taken into account," he told the Spanish television programme Punto Pelota. "We have new players, a team under construction, a different coach and we know that success does not come straight away - you have to slide a bit.

"I remember in my first two years at Manchester we did not win anything and we went on to win the Champions League."

One man who has not had to deal with Champions League elimination this season is the Internazionale coach José Mourinho, who will lead his team into the final against Bayern Munich at the Bernabéu on 22 May, and has been heavily linked with a summer move to Madrid. Ronaldo is impressed by Mourinho's coaching record but remains behind current boss Pellegrini.

"The successes speak for themselves," he said of his fellow Portuguese. "A person earning titles is a good person. Success does not come just like that. At the moment, Pellegrini fits more with me."

As for his own future, Ronaldo appears settled where he is but refused to categorically rule out a move when quizzed about the possibility of joining arch rivals Barça.

"Madrid is my home and Real Madrid my club, but you cannot say never," he said. "I do not know what will happen in the future. You never know, although I would like to retire in Madrid."