RealmadridTalk.com - News & Views

Where To Watch Cristiano Ronaldo's Live Presentation At The Santiago Bernabeu

Mon, 6 Jul 2009 15:03:21 +0100

Ronaldo has passed Real medical.

Cristiano Ronaldo will be officially presented at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid this evening at 21:00 CET. It is expected that 80,000 fans will fill the stadium and watch the event live. It is also rumored that Ronaldo will wear the number "9" shirt as I previously speculated.

Ronaldo arrived in Madrid this morning and has successfully passed his medical. He is in a great shape and should be able to join the team in their pre-season and summer tour. Marca has a video of his arrival and some of the fans' reactions.

Watch Cristiano Ronaldo's presentation live

You can follow the event live through the following sites (If I've missed some, please post them in the comments and I'll update the list)

Realmadrid.com

AS.com

IraqGoals Channel 3 (Via Riotradio on Twitter)

RojaDirect

From the official site.

THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN
By 9:00 dozens of fans already lined the walls of the Santiago Bernabeu. The crowd had grown to hundreds only two hours later. Flags, shirts, signs and everything else you can think of to welcome a player who even before his official presentation has become an idol of Madridismo.

LANDED IN MADRID
Cristiano Ronaldo has arrived Madrid, the city in which he will live for at least six years. The player came in a private flight and landed in Torrejon close to 12:30. He will then head to Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital to have his medical examination prior to visiting the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

FIT TO PLAY
Hundreds of members of the media and dozens of fans gathered at Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital to greet Cristiano Ronaldo prior to his medical checkup. According to Carlos Diez, Chief of Real Madrid's Medical Services, the player is "in perfect condition and looking forward to the beginning of the season."

AT THE STADIUM
The expectation couldn't have been any greater as hundreds of sign-carrying, flag-waving Madridistas welcomed Ronaldo to the Santiago Bernabeu. Once inside the facility, he met with Director General and Presidential Aide, Jorge Valdano.

LUNCH AT PUERTA 57
Ronaldo sat down for lunch at Puerta 57, one of the three restaurants located inside the stadium, alongside fellow countryman, idol and friend, Eusebio. The best Portuguese player of all time was invited by Real Madrid to attend Cristiano's presentation and have lunch with the several members of the Ex Players Assocation including Alfredo di Stefano, Amancio, Butragueño, Pachín, Zoco and Santamaría.

Hala Madrid!

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AC Milan want Huntelaar, Ribery wants Real + Maicon to Real?

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 09:08:27 +0100

Klaas Huntelaar to AC Milan?

AC Milan's vice-president Adriano Galliani was quoted saying: "We are going to sign a great forward. Luis Fabiano and Huntelaar are options, but neither will arrive before Monday."

Well, I hope they manage to reach an agreement with Fabiano as soon as possible because I'd like Huntelaar to stay at Madrid. The arrival of Karim Benzema could mean, to some of you, that Huntelaar is no longer needed, but in my humble opinion, Huntelaar is a player that we need. He is the perfect replacement for Ruud Van Nistelrooy. He has played 20 games for us and scored eight goals. You have to consider that he only came in last January and the team wasn't in its best shape especially after the Barcelona game. If you still have doubts over him, check out his fantastic statistics with Ajax and the Netherlands (75 goals in 90 games for Ajax, and 7 goals in just 11 matches for the Netherlands)

I think If Real want to offload a striker then it has to be Van Nistelrooy. It is not because he is bad, actually he could be more useful than all of those we have, it is because he is over 30, has only one year left on his contract, and the only striker left that we could or should sell. We can't sell or force Rau'l to retire and we can't sell Higuain either, it would be dump to do so.

Galliani has an excellent relationship with Perez and If we are going to sell him, then he'll surely go to AC Milan. They are a great club with a great history are attractive to anyone. Yet again, I hope Perez offloads Ruud instead as it would be a huge mistake to let a young goal-scoring-machine like Huntelaar go to another club.

Ribery wants Real

"It is Madrid or nothing", Ribery told French newspaper L'Equipe. This means Bayern can do nothing to prevent him from going and this will be a good thing for us. We'll have the upper hand in negotiating because the player wants to come, and Bayern will have to lower their asking price.

Both clubs have been in negotations for a while now, but nothing has been reached yet. I'd say that personal terms have been informally agreed, but Real still have to reach an agreement with Bayern.

Beckenbauer says that Real can't pay for Ribery after signing Kaka, Ronaldo, Albiol and Benzema. I don't think so, I think we can still pay. We didn't spend a lot of money last season and we have loans from banks this year. We also still have revenue generated from ticket sales, shirts and TV rights. The bottom line is, If Bayern say yes, Perez will pay.

Maicon To Real?

I don't get this one. We already have a right-back and all we need is a left-back. Maicon is a world-class right-back and If we didn't have Ramos, then he'd be useful, however, If he comes we'll surely have problems. You can't bench one of them and none of them would love to be the "backup". His agent claims that Real are interested in him. I know for a fact that agents are sometimes liars, and they use other clubs to get better contracts from their clients' current clubs. So my guess is that they are just using us to get an improved contract from Inter, nothing more or less.

What are your thoughts on these rumors?

Hala Madrid!

Karim Benzema Signs for Real Madrid

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 10:11:25 +0100

Real Madrid has signed their fourth player this summer with none other than the most promising, Karim Benzema. The deal was announced by the media hours before the official confirmation came from Lyon followed by a confirmation from Real Madrid. I understand some of the unsatisfied voices that wanted David Villa instead but consider this; people always criticized Señor Perez for not signing youth promising players and this deal shows that he has learned from his mistakes (not all of them, he still should sign some defenders :OP)

The deal is set at €39 million which may rise to €41 million after bonuses. Karim Benzema will sign a six year contract.

Player Bio & Statistics:

Born 19 December 1987, Lyon's Karim Benzema, the Fench international is considered by pundits a start of the future. Often compared to ex-Real Madrid player Brazilian Ronaldo, Benzema is known for his killer instincts on goal, off the ball movement and dribbling. Before joining Real Madrid, Benzema was one of the highest paid French players in Ligue 1.

As of 27 May 2009

Club	Season	League			Cup			Europe			Total
Club	Season	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists	Apps	Goals	Assists
Olympique Lyonnais	2004-05	6	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	0	1
	2005-06	13	1	1	2	2	1	1	1	0	16	4	2
	2006-07	21	5	2	4	1	0	3	2	0	28	8	2
	2007-08	36	20	5	9	7	1	7	4	1	52	31	7
	2008-09	36	17	2	3	1	0	8	5	1	47	23	3
Total		112	43	11	18	11	2	19	12	2	149	66	15
Real Madrid CF	2009-10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career total		112	43	11	18	11	2	19	12	2	149	66	15

Written by: Hamdi Al-Haddad (Thedangerzolo)

Hala Madrid!

Kaka's Live Presentation - Shirt Number Is "8"

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:45:59 +0100

UPDATE: Kaka's shirt number is "8".

UPDATE: You can watch the presentation live on Antena 3 Noticias

Hello,

Clearly a happy day for us Madridistas, our long-term dream has finally came true, Ricardo Kaka is finally being presented as a Real Madrid player.

Ricardo's Big day schedule

From RealMadrid.com

ANTICIPATED UNVEILING
He was the first player signed following the arrival of new President Florentino Perez..On Tuesday at 20:30 CET, Madridismo will witness an event that is just the beginning of the new project fans have been clamoring about. It will be a huge party with thousands of spectators on hand at the Santiago Bernabeu to celebrate the arrival of Kaka.

ARRIVAL IN MADRID
Real Madrid's new player flew in from South Africa, where on Sunday he was proclaimed champion of the Confederations Cup and named MVP of the tournament. Accompanied by his father, Kaka appeared with an ear to ear grin on his face. After a brief stop at the Mirasierra Suites Hotel, the footballer was taken to Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital, where at 9:30 he underwent a complete medical checkup.

PERFECT BILL OF HEALTH
Kaka's first stop was Sanitas La Moraleja Hospital, where he arrived at 9:30 accompanied by his father. He underwent the required medical checkup including blood and urine samples, an electrocardiogram, an echo, an MRI, a thorough locomotor test and x-rays. "Today's tests confirmed that the player is in perfect condition to play top-class football," stated Carlos Diez, Chief of Real Madrid's Medical Services.

FIRST CONTACT WITH FANS
Kaka was stunned by a large group of fans as he exited the hospital after his medical checkup. A swarm had gathered to welcome the new Madridista and express their support on such a special day. The player approached the fans to thank them and didn't hesitate to sign autographs and take pictures. It was a nice gesture on behalf of the the footballer, who is already getting a good feel of the passion felt for his new team.

UNPRECEDENTED GLOBAL EXPECTATION
Thousands of fans will fill the stands of the Santiago Bernabeu to witness Kaka's first steps as a Madridista. But also on hand for the presentation will be hundreds of media outlets from every corner of the planet in order to cover the event that has generated so much hype and expectation. Over 170 press agencies requested accreditation to cover the presentation of Kaka. Press agencies, sports newspapers, general newspapers, and radio and television stations from around the world will be reporting on the event.

SANTIAGO BERNABEU VISIT & FIRST INTERVIEW
After completing his medical, Kaka swung by the Santiago Bernabeu for his first look at his new stadium. With grand admiration the Brazilian looked over the pitch from the Presidential Balcony. Kaka expressed interest in the methods being used to lay the new turf and took the time to greet several club employees. Following a brief tour, Kaka sat down for his first interview with Realmadrid TV as a Madridista prior to having lunch in one of the Bernabeu's restaurants with his father and Director General and Presidential Aide, Jorge Valdano

The official start of the presentation is 19:30 CET, 21:30 Saudi Arabian Time. You can watch the presentation on RealMadrid.com while for Arab viewers you can tune into Aljazeera 1 which will broadcast the presentation live.

Hala Madrid,

P.S: Wish Adam Bader's a good flight as he is on his way to Rome .. Good Luck Mate!

OFFICIAL: Real Madrid Sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:58:03 +0100

And here comes the official confirmation of Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid. The club has just issued the following statement.

Real Madrid CF and Manchester United have signed the definitive agreement for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to the Spanish club on 1 July.

The player will stay at Real Madrid for six seasons.

Ronaldo will be presented at the Santiago Bernabeu on 6 July.

The fee is $135m (95m euros -- 80m pounds). His salary is set to be 15m euros a year. His image rights will be divided 50-50. His shirt number is yet to be known, but it is most likely to be "9".

Cristiano Ronaldo's Profile & Honours

7. Cristiano Ronaldo

Birthdate:	05 Feb 1985
Birthplace:	Madeira, Portugal
Position:	Winger
Appearances:	291
Goals:	118
Joined United:	12 Aug 2003
United Debut:	16 Aug 2003 v Bolton (H)
International	Portugal

Honors

Manchester United

Individual

UEFA Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament
FIFPro Special Young Player of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06
Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 2006–07
UEFA Team of the Year: 2003–2004, 2006–07, 2007-08
FIFPro World XI: 2006–07, 2007–08
PFA Young Player of the Year: 2006–07
PFA Players' Player of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
PFA Fans' Player of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
PFA Premier League Team of the Year: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
FWA Footballer of the Year: 2006–07, 2007–08
Barclays Player of the Season: 2006–07, 2007–08
Barclays Player of the Month: November 2006, December 2006, January 2008, March 2008
Barclays Golden Boot: 2007–08
Barclays Merit Award: 2007–08
European Golden Shoe: 2007–08
UEFA Club Forward of the Year: 2007–08
UEFA Club Footballer of the Year: 2007–08
FIFPro World Player of the Year: 2007–08
Ballon d'Or: 2008
FIFA World Player of the Year: 2008
FIFA Team of the Year: 2008

Hala Madrid!

OFFICIAL: Benfica Sign Javier Saviola From Real Madrid

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 20:40:13 +0100

The club has officially issued this statement.

Real Madrid CF has reached an agreement with Sport Lisboa e Benfica for the transfer of Javier Saviola. The Club wants to thank the player for his work and wishes him to be successful in this new stage in his career

UPDATE: Saviola moved to Benfica for €5m.

When I first heard that Schuster wanted to bring Saviola to Real Madrid, I was pretty excited. I liked and still like Saviola's pace, positioning and dribbling skills, but he was unlucky wherever he went. Schuster, the man who brought him, was the same man who benched him for the whole season, and Juande Ramos was no different as he too had no faith in the Rabbit.

Everyone knew he was going to leave, especially with the presence of players like Higuain, Rau'l, Huntelaar and Ruud Van Nistelrooy. If Saviola was given more chances, I'm sure he'd have contributed to the team, but he was never match-fit, and for that you have to blame Senor Bernard.

His move to Benfice is no surprise. The Portuguese club expressed their interest in the player many times in the past. There were also some offers from England, but it seems that Javier wanted Portugal. I don't think this move necessarily means that we need a new striker, unless we sell one of our other four. As I said, there is no point in signing a striker when we have four that are good. We should never sign players just for the sake of it.

So I think we should all wish Saviola the best of luck in his career. I know many of you never liked him, but I think he deserves respect for his professional attitude and patience. Cassano was in his shoes once, and made a fuss about it, Saviola didn't, and for that I admire him. He is one of the most respectable and disciplined footballers I've ever seen.

Gracias Javier!

Hala Madrid!

OFFICIAL: Real Madrid Sign Raul Albiol From Valencia CF

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:14:37 +0100

Real Madrid has officially announced through its official website that Raul Albiol is the club's third signing this season. The 23 year old center-back is set to sign a five-year contract with the club and will be presented next week after taking a medical exam and signing his contract. Raul Albiol is the first Spanish signing of the second Galagticos era and the first defensive reinforcement. According to Cadena Ser, Real Madrid paid Valencia €15m for the Spain international.

RAUL ALBIOL STATISTICS AND BIO

Years	Club	App (Gls)
2003–2004 2004–2009 2004–2005 2009-	Valencia B Valencia → Getafe Real Madrid	035 0(2) 109 0(3) 017 0(1)

From Realmadrid.com

Real Madrid have landed one of the best center-backs in Spain and one of Europe’s brightest prospects. Only 23-years old, Raul Albiol (Valencia, 04/09/85) is quickly becoming an icon of Spanish football. Brought up through the Valencia youth system, Albiol is a fast, hardened center-back who dominates the aerial game. An international with the Spanish national team, the new Madridista was a member of the 2008 European Championship-winning squad. His youth and experience make him an attractive footballer for all coaches, who see Raul Albiol as the prototype center-back with plenty of resources to fall back on.

Albiol was born in a small town in Valencia called Villamarchante, located on the right bank of the Turia River. Playing with a football was his favorite pastime as a child, and Valencia quickly took notice and enrolled Albiol in their academy. On 24 September 2003, and only 18 years old, Rafa Benitez gave Albiol the chance to debut with the first team in a UEFA Cup match against AIK Solna. The current Liverpool coach saw the tremendous potential Albiol possessed, but the player finished the season playing for Mestalla, the youth team, and would have to wait to earn a spot on Valencia’s premier squad.

RESURGENCE
Valencia loaned Albiol to Getafe the following season in order for the player to gain experience in Spain’s top flight. It was then that Albiol suffered the most tragic chapter of his life. The center back suffered a serious car accident on his way to the Spanish capital and was in ICU for 17 days. His spleen was removed and Albiol was ordered to remain inactive for two months. They were difficult days for the Valencia native, who thought many times that he would never return to the pitch. But surprisingly, Albiol made a full recovery and joined Getafe midway through the season –he even scored a goal against Real Madrid-. Then Getafe coach Quique Sanchez Flores had all the faith in the world in Albiol, which made it no surprise that he asked Valencia’s head brass to reacquire the services of the player after he was appointed head coach of the Che.

Although his natural position was as a defensive midfielder, Quique repositioned Albiol as a center-back upon his return to Mestalla, and the moved suited the player to perfection. Albiol and Ayala formed one of the most solid defensive duos in La Liga. Tall, fast and strong, what Albiol is really known for is his ability to move the ball forward and to play it safely with the midfielders; a skill he surely acquired during his days as a midfielder. Albiol is also very tall and dominates the aerial game, making him a potential threat during set-pieces and the perfect player to clear balls curled into the box.

EUROPEAN CHAMPION WITH ‘LA ROJA'
Raul Albiol’s best season as a professional was no doubt 2007/08. A hands-down starter for Valencia, the defender made a name for himself domestically and abroad and earned several call-ups by Luis Aragones for Euro 2008 qualifiers. His debut took place on 13 October 2007 against Denmark. Once June rolled around, and after Valencia had won the Copa del Rey, the now Madridista was called up by the national team coach top participate in the European Championship in Austria and Switzerland, where he coincided with new teammates, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos. Albiol, who played against Sweden and Greece, finished the tournament as a European champion in Ernst Happel Stadion along with the rest of the Spanish expedition.

Despite only being 23-years old, Real Madrid has acquired the services of an already-experienced and mature player who has no fear of the responsibility that being a Madridistas entails. In his final season at Valencia, Albiol played 45 matches and scored two goals. Saying he is a true sportsman would be an understatement; he has only been shown one red card during his five seasons in Primera Division. Albiol is currently on Confederations Cup duty in South Africa, where Iker Casillas, his new captain, had the following to say about him: “If you had to put a face to this group, it would be Albiol’s. He is the face of this team because he reflects all that is good about us.”

Guest Written by : Hamdi Al-Haddad (thedangerzolo)

Transfer Updates On Casillas, Ribery, David Villa, Ibrahimovic, and Miacon

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:43:17 +0100

Iker Casillas

Real Madrid has officially clarified the rumors linking Casillas to Manchester United. The only reason there is a profile of Casillas on ManUTD.com is that the English club keeps a database of former opponents (there are profiles for Guti, Rau'l, Zidane, Figo..etc). However, this doesn't deny that Fergie is interested in signing Casillas, and quite frankly, I'm surprised that he would think he can get someone as Casillas.

Sir Fergie, there is a ZERO chance that you'll get him. He is a loyal youth team product who has proved his worth and If, just, If he was forced to leave (say by Perez), the fans would literally assassinate Florentino and his gang. So my advice to you is to go and build your own Casillas.

Ribery

For the last couple of weeks, David Villa has been our priority and the club's main focus. However, things have changed since Valencia are asking for a lot money and as such Ribery is our priority and main target now. I've heard that the club is in intense negotiations with Bayern and there are many options by which Ribery would come. There is the option of a 50m euro bid or the exchange of players like Sneijder and Robben. The key to all of this is that Franck wants to leave Bayern, specifically to Spain and preferably to Real. He might be the one who sorts it out.

David Villa

David wants to leave Valencia -- as simple as that. He wants a bigger club and in Spain. This leaves us with two possible destinations; Barcelona and Real Madrid. Barca have made a bid for him, one better than Real's, but seemingly not better than Chelsea's. Valencia prefers to sell him to Chelsea firstly because they are not direct rivals, and secondly because they offer more money. Now, guess what? Villa is whinning about it and wants Real who are refusing to up their offer. If Valencia accepts Real bid of 30m euros plus Negredo then Villa comes, otherwise he stays or goes to Barcelona. He is no longer our priority.

Ibrahimovic and Maicon

I personally think that Perez wouldn't be able to sign Ibrahimovic for one reason; his salary. Zlatan earns a lot of money at Inter (I don't know the accurate amount) and we just can't match his salary since we have two other big earners, Kaka and Ronaldo.

Perez might have other plans for him, but I'd definitely rule him out of our agenda. Additionally, Moratti won't sell unless he gets as much as we paid for Kaka or someone like Sneijder or Robben plus 40m or 50m euros.

As for Maicon though, Real have been negotiating with him for a couple of weeks now. I like him, he is a good defender and I believe he can play in many positions in defense, though I don't know If he is comfortable being a left-back, If so, then he is our man.

Hala Madrid!

Cristiano Ronaldo to wear the shirt number "9" at Real Madrid?

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:25:34 +0100

Rau'l: hey Ronaldo, you can get Paris Hilton, but not that number ;)

It looks like that Ronaldo will put pen on paper sometime next week and possibly be presented on the same day or maybe later with Kaka after he has ended the dispute with Real Madrid over his image rights (he wanted 60-40 in his favour, but he'll now get 50) However, the question on the mind of Madridistas now is what number is Ronaldo going to get?

A while back, while Calderon was negotiating for a deal, I reported that Ronaldo registered the "CR9" trademark (he also owns "CR7" and reportedly "CR10"). Considering that Rau'l owns the number "7" shirt, and won't give it for a million dollars, Ronaldo has to choose between the number "9" or "10". Currently, Saviola is the owner of the number "9" and since he is definitely leaving then Ronaldo can get it easily. Sneijder's place in the team is in doubt, but even If he leaves, and the number "10" becomes available, there is Kaka who has also set his sights on the famous number even though many people think he'd get Zidane's "5" shirt.

My take on this is: I think Ronaldo should get the number "9", Kaka the "5" and Ribery the "10" (Yes, Ribery is comin', come on Perez!)

I truly think it is irrelevant. What is more important is that we have a quality player in each position (and a decent backup too), and then it doesn't matter if they get certain numbers, wear shirts, jackets or even play naked.

Hala Madrid!

Criss Ronaldo Too Greedy ?

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:01:18 +0100

Real Madrid made headlines when the deal to land Man Utd flamboyant winger Cristiano Ronaldo was announced almost two weeks ago. Some said 80M€ was a bargain deal for a player of CR7 caliber and some said that 80 mill is far too much to spend on a spoiled brat ( their word not mine).More over people dwells upon whether CR7 came searching to satisfy his l.o.v.e for the value of the madridismo and the sole of the best club in the world or he's searching to deepen his already very very deep pockets and well some also said that he got tired of the ladies in the UK its Madrid's ladies turn. A man can ponder but, it looks like Ronaldo is a greedy dude like so many people think.

According to the Daily Mail Cristiano Ronaldo and his reps are still negotiating with Real Madrid and the point of conflict is that Ronaldo doesn't want Real Madrid to get half of his commercial deals, although he would get payments from the sales or Real Madrid merchandise with his name on them. Now for a man who is expected to earn 10m a year - about 200,000 a week its very fucking greedy and awful. Perez none the less is expected to up his offer so that Criss will be presented with Kaka at the end of the month, thus giving Mr.former president Calderon a reason to kill himself.

Guest Written by : Hamdi Al-Haddad (Thedangerzolo)