The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Real Madrid

  • Ronaldo out of Eibar clash with injury

    Ronaldo out of Eibar clash with injury

     

    Real Madrid have named their squad to face Eibar on Saturday and must do without the suspended Gareth Bale and now Cristiano Ronaldo, who is injured.

    Los Blancos therefore travel to the form side being unable to count on their star duo, as they seek to regain the initiative in the La Liga title race with a win.

    Ronaldo has not been training with his team-mates after experiencing muscle problems, revealed coach Zinedine Zidane in his pre-match conference on Friday.

    The news arrives as a huge blow to the trainer given the Portuguese rescued Madrid against Las Palmas in midweek, scoring a brace to earn a 3-3 comeback.

    The severity of the situation is compounded following Bale’s two-match suspension, which was confirmed as punishment for his straight red card for wrestling Jonathan Viera to the ground.

    Ronaldo is Madrid’s top scorer in La Liga with 18 goals in 20 games, while Bale only recently completed his comeback from injury and will now be forced to watch his team-mates from the stands again.

    Their absence would be an opportunity for the likes of Alvaro Morata, Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio to impress from the start, though Madrid’s task of facing Eibar on home turf without their biggest stars is a daunting one.

    The Basque minnows are punching above their weight this term and targeting Europa League qualification for next season, with Jose Luis Mendilibar’s men formidable in their fortress of Ipurua.

    Madrid face a delicate situation, having let slip what appeared a commanding position in La Liga in recent weeks to slide into second place behind Barcelona, though Zidane’s troops still boast a game in hand.

    Los Blancos have won just one of their last three games – losing 2-1 at Valencia before slumping to the 3-3 home draw against Las Palmas – making a result at Eibar all the more crucial for their title hopes.

  • Raymond Kopa dies at 85

    Raymond Kopa dies at 85

     

    Former Real Madrid and France playmaker Raymond Kopa has died at the age of 85, Reims, the French club where he was honorary president have confirmed.

    Kopa, who won three European Cups alongside the likes of Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano in the 1950s, had been hospitalised in the French town of Angers since Sunday.

    Le Courrier de l’Ouest reported on Friday that Kopa passed away earlier that same morning at 8:00 a.m. CET.

    The first French winner of the Ballon d’Or in 1958 after being named the best player of that year’s World Cup, Kopa was born in northern France in October 1931, the son of Polish immigrants who had left their native land to work in French mines.

    After working as a miner himself, and losing two fingers while doing so, Kopa — whose surname was shortened from its original form, Kopaszewski — began his football career at Angers before forging his reputation during five seasons at Reims.

    Two French titles and a European Cup runners-up medal from the competition’s first-ever final in 1956 followed, and it was Kopa’s display in an historic 4-3 win for the Spanish club at the Parc des Princes in Paris that helped earn him a summer move to Madrid.

    Nicknamed ‘Kopita’ by Madrid fans due to his diminutive stature, he helped Los Blancos to two La Liga titles and three successive European Cups between 1957 and 1959, the latter won against his former club. He then returned to Reims for a further eight seasons, winning two more French titles, before retiring aged 35. He scored 18 times in 45 games for France.

  • Bale to open sports bar in Cardiff

    Bale to open sports bar in Cardiff

     

     

    Gareth Bale has spoken of his delight at being able to open up a sports bar in his hometown of Cardiff.

    The Real Madrid forward, who earns £350,000 a week at the Spanish giants, will open up the restaurant in the near future.

    Bale has told Dugout he is hoping the venue will be the ideal location for sports fans to eat and drink while they enjoy watching a variety of games.

    Over a year in the making and now thrilled to be able to announce on St. David’s Day the upcoming opening of my new Sports Bar in Cardiff, @elevensbargrill #Elevens

    He is hoping that his bar and grill restaurant will serve the best burger in Cardiff when ‘Elevens’ opens in the city centre.

    Bale has named the bar ‘Elevens’, which will open in late Spring or early summer, because he wears the number on his shirt for both Real Madrid and Wales.

    ‘It has been a big goal and ambition of mine to open a sports bar for many years and I feel Cardiff provides the perfect location,’ said Bale.

    ‘There isn’t a venue quite like this, where you can go to watch live sport on Ultra HD 4K TVs with amazing food and drink, all within a modern, relaxed and family-friendly environment.

    ‘We hope to have the best burger in Cardiff and really looking forward to getting people in to enjoy the experience.’

    Bale grew up in Wales before joining Southampton at the age of nine in 1999.

    He then went onto seal a move to Tottenham before signing for Real Madrid in what was a world record £86million deal.

  • Gamboa: Dembele worth £50m and good for Madrid

    Gamboa: Dembele worth £50m and good for Madrid

     

    Celtic star Moussa Dembele is worth £50million and good enough to play for Real Madrid, according to team-mate Cristian Gamboa.

    Dembele, 20, is enjoying a prolific campaign in Scotland, scoring 15 goals in 24 league games for the runaway leaders.

    He also netted five Champions League goals, leading to speculation linking him with the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United.

    But it will take a massive bid to secure Dembele from Celtic, team-mate Gamboa said.

    “I’d give you £50m for him, but I don’t have the money,” he said, via the Daily Express.

    “He is a good player. He can go wherever he wants. We enjoy having him here and hope we can enjoy having him for a long time.

    “He can go to Real Madrid or wherever he wants. He is a top-class player. The age he is, just 20, means there is a lot that he still has to do.

    “But he is having a really good season for Celtic. It is good for Celtic and it is good for us as a group. We enjoy it.”

    Dembele struck a brace in his most recent outing, a 2-0 win over Hamilton Academical, to take his tally to nine in his past four games.

    Gamboa, a 52-time Costa Rica international, said there was plenty more to come from Dembele.

    “Just imagine what he’s going to be like when he’s 25 when he is a more mature player and he has more experience,” he said.

     

    “He is a strong player and he shows everyone that in training all the time. I wish the best for him. But we enjoy him just now.

    “He may go to another club, but just now he is here until at least the end of the season so we should enjoy his football and his goals.”

  • Hammer for Benzema over iguana show

    Hammer for Benzema over iguana show

     

    Karim Benzema has had a disappointing season for Real Madrid so far, scoring only five goals in 16 league appearances.

    And the France international has problems off the pitch as well as on it – Benzema could be in hot water holding an iguana at the Martinique National Park in December.

    The iguana is an endangered species in Martinique and should not be picked up or photographed with.

    Benzema has therefore been handed a fine by the official prosecutor in Martinique, according to reports in France and the Caribbean island.

    Can the striker do anything right at the moment? A goal against Valencia on Wednesday night might help.

  • Bale returns with a bang!

    Bale returns with a bang!

     

    Gareth Bale took just 13 minutes to mark his Real Madrid comeback with a goal after 88 days out injured.

    The Cardiff Express came on with 20 minutes left and just 13 minutes later pulled away from Espanyol’s defence on to Isco’s pass to draw the keeper and slot the ball into the far corner in Real Madrid’s 2-0 win.

    Madrid have missed the pace, power and precision of their most expensive all-time signing. He injured tendons in his right ankle on November 22 and was operated on in London on November 29.

    But all that was behind him as he left the Espanyol  defence behind to seal three points for Real Madrid and send the team four points clear at the top with a game in hand.

    Bale tweeted in midweek that he could not wait to return after Madrid’s home win over Napoli – a game he had asked to play in. Zidane resisted the temptation without any problems and was rewarded with a goal.

    He is now on course to play from the start in three very difficult away games for Real Madrid in the next three weeks –

    Villarreal next weekend, Eibar seven days later, and Napoli in the San Paolo stadium on March 7.

  • Nadal dreams Real Madrid presidency

    Nadal dreams Real Madrid presidency

     

     

     

     

     

    Tennis great Rafael Nadal has revealed that he would like to become president of La Liga giants Real Madrid one day.

    The 2017 Australian Open finalist, who loves football as well as tennis, has always supported Real.

    Despite wanting to become president, honorary Real member Nadal believes that the club won’t need him as they already have a great president in Florentino Perez.

    ‘Of course I’d like to be Real Madrid president,’ Nadal told Marca. ‘You never know what’ll happen in the future.

    ‘Anyhow, we have a great president now and I don’t think Real Madrid will need me.’

    Real top the La Liga table after an excellent start to Zinedine Zidane’s first full campaign in charge of the Santiago Bernabeu club.

    They are a point clear of fierce rivals Barcelona, who reached the Copa del Rey final on Tuesday, and have two games in-hand.

  • Ronaldo marks girlfriend’s birthday in style

    Ronaldo marks girlfriend’s birthday in style

     

     

    Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo has chosen to mark the 22nd birthday of his girlfriend Georgina Rodriquez in romantic style, by enjoying a cosy meal for two out in the Spanish capital.

    The pair headed out to Madrid’s Tatel restaurant to celebrate the milestone occasion with some fine dining, days after Ronaldo helped his team to an emphatic La Liga victory over Real Sociedad.

    Ronaldo played the role of designated driver, taking to the wheel as the couple drove off to the gastronomic eatery.

    The Madrid star appeared in high spirits as he headed off for the evening of romance, while Spanish model Rodriguez was all smiles.

    The 22-year-old recently made a trip to see Ronaldo in action, watching on from the stands in the Santiago Bernabeu as Madrid fell to a shock defeat at the hands of Celta Vigo.

  • Ronaldo has his £260,000 Lamborghini towed

    Ronaldo has his £260,000 Lamborghini towed

     

     

    Cristiano Ronaldo had to ask for an ambulance to help him home after a jinxed trip to a ski resort near Madrid with his girlfriend in his new £260,000 Lamborghini.

    A tow truck is said to have removed his luxury sports car after he had to stop the vehicle because of wrist problems.

    A Spanish showbiz website said he alerted police and a roadside assistance firm before hopping into the ambulance with his girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez

    The bizarre incident happened around 6pm on Sunday after Ronaldo, 31, took his shop assistant new squeeze to visit the Navacerrada ski resort near Madrid

    Informalia, quoting ‘well-placed sources’, said sudden wrist pain forced the footballer to park up on a roundabout and call for help.

    There was no immediate reaction from Real Madrid or Ronaldo, who had his right wrist bandaged during Real’s 2-1 win over Malaga on Saturday after suffering an apparent knock in training the day before.

    Police and the local ambulance service were not available to comment on the reports on Wednesday morning, which have been widely picked up by other Spanish media.

    Ronaldo was trolled online after taking to Instagram last October to post a picture of himself standing next to the vehicle with the caption, ‘Bom Dia’ — good morning in English.

  • Madrid confirm Modric and Marcelo injury blows

    Madrid confirm Modric and Marcelo injury blows

     

     

    Luka Modric and Marcelo have sustained respective abductor and hamstring injuries, Real Madrid confirmed on Monday.

    The pair were substituted during Saturday’s 2-1 LaLiga success at home to Malaga, as the European champions bounced back from successive defeats to Sevilla and Celta Vigo.

    But the win came at a cost, with head coach Zinedine Zidane expressing his frustration at seeing the pair added to an injury list that already includes Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Dani Carvajal, Pepe, Danilo and Fabio Coentrao.

    A club statement confirmed Modric had suffered an injury to his right abductor, while Marcelo has a grade II tear in his left hamstring.

    Madrid gave no indication of a possible recovery for timescale for either player, although they seem certain to miss the Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg at Celta on Wednesday, when Zidane’s side will look to overturn a 2-1 deficit.