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Tag: Ronaldo

  • Ronaldo slammed for partying after Real defeat

    Ronaldo slammed for partying after Real defeat

    Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo drew criticism in the changing room by partying for his 30th birthday hours after a 4-0 defeat by rivals Atletico, media reported Monday.

    Leading sports daily Marca called the Portuguese striker’s birthday bash after Real’s Madrid derby defeat in the league on Saturday “The Party of Discord.”

    “Pictures of the celebration did not go down well with Real Madrid’s captains” Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos, Marca wrote on Monday.

    Ronaldo hosted teammates including second-choice goalkeeper Keylor Navas, defender Pepe, Fabio Coentrao, Luka Modric, Sami Khedira and James Rodriguez, who recently had foot surgery, newspapers reported.

    Participants including Colombian singer Kevin Roldan, who was invited to entertain guests at the party, posted photographs on social networks of Ronaldo and various grinning teammates.

    “The online social networks were on fire with fierce criticism from fans,” reported Madrid sports newspaper AS.

    Disgruntled Twitter users even generated a special hashtag, #lafiestadeladeshonra, or “party of disgrace”.

    “It was a trending topic all day from 12:00 pm,” AS said.

    Cristiano’s agent Jorge Mendes told Cadena SER radio station on Sunday he himself was “very annoyed” by the photographs.

    “When there is an event that is totally private and then you see someone is leaking pictures of it, clearly you get annoyed,” Mendes said.

    The agent said the player was “gutted at the defeat” — a claim echoed by other figures close to Ronaldo, including Chelsea and former Real manager Jose Mourinho.

    “People spent the first two hours of the party encouraging him because he was sad about the defeat,” Mendes said.

    Barcelona newspaper Sport reported that some Real players who missed the party were going to “demand an explanation from the Portuguese player and his fellow partygoers”.

    Real Madrid are currently top of the Spanish league on 54 points, but Saturday’s loss left them just a point ahead of their fierce rivals Barcelona. Current champions Atletico are three points behind in third place.

  • Ronaldo tips Madrid ahead Atletico for title

    Ronaldo tips Madrid ahead Atletico for title

    Cristiano Ronaldo says that Real Madrid is a better team than Atletico Madrid despite being thrashed 0-4 by their city rivals on Saturday.

    Goals from Tiago, Saul, Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic handed Diego Simeone’s men a famous victory at the Vicente Calderon and cut the gap between the two sides in La Liga to four points.

    But Ronaldo, who endured a difficult game after returning from suspension, is remaining defiant despite admitting that his team played poorly.

    “Real Madrid are better than Atletico but we have to prove it on the field,” the Portuguese told reporters. “Anyway, I think we will win the Liga title at the end of the season.

    “Nothing worked today. It is a day to forget. Real Madrid can never lose 4-0 against any team.

    “We lacked enthusiasm and we were not mentally or physically fresh. There was little recovery time from Wednesday’s game [against Sevilla].”

    Ronaldo, who celebrated his 30th birthday on Thursday, doesn’t believe that Madrid should panic despite their heavy defeat.

    “The team is fine, but today we made a big mistake,” he stressed. “These were three points that we lost. No more. Not four points.”

    Madrid remain top of La Liga with 54 points from 22 games but second placed Barcelona can close to within one point if they win on Sunday against Athletic Bilbao.

  • Ronaldo would fetch £300m, claims Mendes

    Ronaldo would fetch £300m, claims Mendes

    Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo could command a price tag of £300million, according to agent Jorge Mendes.

    Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent believes Real Madrid would receive a fee of £300million if they opted to sell the Portugal captain tomorrow and revealed that the forward has a £1billion release clause in his contract.

    Ronaldo moved from Manchester United to Real in 2009 for a then world-record fee of £80m and has since gone on to win the FIFA Ballon d’Or twice.

    The 29-year-old has been constantly linked with a return to Old Trafford – despite agreeing a new deal to stay in Madrid until 2018 – but his representative, Jorge Mendes, warned his client would command a huge fee.

    When asked what Ronaldo’s valuation would be, Mendes told BBC Sport: “Cristano Ronaldo? One billion. His buyout clause one billion, so it is one billion. It is impossible to find someone like him.

    “If for any reason the club decides to sell him tomorrow for 300 million, someone will pay.

    “He is the best player ever in the world. You can’t compare him with anybody else,”

    Mendes added that potential suitors for Ronaldo would be wasting their time by making on offer for the prolific former Sporting Lisbon man.

    “He will not leave Real Madrid.” said Mendes.

     

  • UEFA Team of the Year: Ronaldo, Messi, Angel di Maria voted

    UEFA Team of the Year: Ronaldo, Messi, Angel di Maria voted

    Bayern Munich boast four men in UEFA’s Team of the Year from 2014 as the regular candidates dominate an all-star XI, which  includes no British players.

    The XI was voted for by 8.6million fans after a year in which Real Madrid claimed the top European club honour.

    Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos make the team, while Angel di Maria, man of the match in the Champions League final victory, is the only man selected who is now plying his trade in the Premier League.

    Ballon d’Or nominee Manuel Neuer is the man between the sticks after a superb year with Bayern Munich and Germany, and is protected by a strong back four.

    Champions League finalists and Madrid rivals Ramos and Diego Godin make up the centre of defence, supported by Bayern full backs Philipp Lahm and David Alaba.

    Toni Kroos signed for Real Madrid in the summer but it was his performances with the Bundesliga giants that earned him his place in the XI, as with Di Maria and the Galacticos.

    The Argentine signed for Manchester United in a £60m deal last summer, and gets the nod ahead of fellow flying left-footer Gareth Bale.

    Arjen Robben had a fine year with Bayern Munich. The Dutch winger is often criticised for his play-acting and attitude, but the 30-year-old is still a frightening prospect for European defenders.

    Franck Ribery usaully supplements Robben on the left, but in this squad there is only one man who was going to fill that berth; Cristiano Ronaldo.

    The Real Madrid and Portugal star scored 61 goals for club and country, including a penalty in the victory in Lisbon against Atletico.

    He is of course joined by La Liga, and indeed Ballon d’Or rival Lionel Messi, who broke record after record despite Barcelona failing to hit top form in 2014.

    Zlatan Ibrahimovic leads the line after the maverick Swedish striker lead PSG to their second Ligue 1 title, scoring several spectacular goals along the way.

  • Ronaldo nets goal no. 72

    Ronaldo nets goal no. 72

    Real Madrid have sealed first place in Group B after a victory over a battling Basel side at St Jakob Park.

    The Swiss team, who were looking to take a step closer to second round themselves, tried to pick off Los Blancos on the counter attack, but conceded plenty of possession to the European champions.

    Carlo Ancelotti’s men took the lead 10 minutes before the break when Benzema again linked up with Ronaldo and, this time the Portuguese forward found the back of the net.

    Los Blancos almost nabbed a crucial second as Bale struck the crossbar and with 14 minutes remaining, Ronaldo was also denied by the frame of the goal.

    Basel tried to push for a late equaliser with Yoichiro Kakitani firing over in stoppage time but Real held on for a victory, which means that Liverpool can now qualify for the last 16 with a win over Basel at Anfield in a fortnight’s time.

  • Ezeh professes love for Porto

    Nigeria Under-20 international Chidera Ezeh said he is delighted to be a Porto player and already feels at home at the Portuguese setup thanks to the encouragement he has received from compatriot Mikel Agu.

    Not only are both youngsters midfield players, Mikel Agu was also one of the best kept secrets of Porto, and did not sign a professional contract until he clocked 18, having joined the club at the age of 16.

    “We see often. Mikel Agu is a nice guy, he has made me feel at home and spoke to me on how he coped when he first came to Porto. And because of that,I really learnt so much from him. I know I have to be focused here,” Ezeh told SL10.ng.

    “I admire Ronaldo and Messi but I don’t want to be like them. I am created for a specific purpose, so I want to be who God says I will be.”

    After Chidera ‘s exploits at the 2013 FIFA Under-17s, he was courted by a host of clubs across Europe including Lazio and Arsenal, but he decided to pitch his tent at the Estádio do Dragão.

    The 16-year-old, who has fully recovered from a hamstring complaint he picked up on international duty, has spoken openly about his love for Porto.

    “I love this team with so much passion. I didn’t join Porto because of the money, rather I came here to develop and learn. And by His grace, surely I must have a good and bright future here,” he added.

  • Ronaldo: I can’t say what I really think about Madrid reshaping

    Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed he “can’t say what he thinks” about Real Madrid’s summer transfer moves but hinted he was unhappy at the way the club have reshaped their squad.

    Xabi Alonso, Angel Di Maria, Diego Lopez and Alvaro Morata have all left the Bernabeu, while Monday saw the reigning European champions make their fourth major signing with Javier Hernandez joining recent arrivals Keylor Navas, Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez.

    Fifa Ballon d’Or and Goal 50 winner Ronaldo certainly didn’t offer a glowing endorsement to the club’s activity in the current transfer window which closes tonight.

    “I have my strong opinions, but I can’t always say what I think. Otherwise, tomorrow it would be on the front pages and I don’t want that,” he told the press at a media event for watchmaker Tag Heuer.

    “But if the president thinks the best for the team is to sign players who joined and leave out others, we must respect and support his decisions.”

    The 29-year-old Portugal international admitted the changes in personnel would inevitably result in a change in the team’s style – while the losses of Di Maria and Alonso, cornerstones of the club’s Decima success last term to Manchester United and Bayern Munich respectively, would be keenly felt.

    “With all the new players the style will change, for better or worse” he said.

    “Di Maria and Xabi were very important to us but now they are gone and we should be happy with the new players. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

    Ronaldo is currently recovering from a knee injury that saw him sit out his side’s surprise 4-2 defeat to Real Sociedad at the weekend, but says he expects to back within a week.

    “Yesterday I went for a run. I’m sure in a week I’ll be back one hundred percent,” he said, before warning his team-mates they cannot repeat the complacent performance that saw them lose a two-goal lead on Sunday.

    “It was a strange game, we were 2-0 up after minutes, but then things changed. We have taken it as a lesson that we cannot think a match is already won. We must fight to the end.”

  • Ronaldo coy over United return

    Cristiano Ronaldo admits he could one day make a return to Manchester United.

    Ronaldo became a cult hero at United after enjoying six successful years under Sir Alex Ferguson.

    The Portuguese winger moved to Real Madrid for £80million in 2009, but he still remembers his time at Old Trafford fondly.

    Although he says he is happy at the Bernabeu, Ronaldo appears open to the possibility of going back to United in the future.

    When asked about the possibility of playing for United again, Ronaldo told MUTV: “I love Manchester and you never know in football. Of course I’m happy at Real Madrid; it’s my home, it’s my club, but United treated me unbelievably, so you never know.

    “I am still in contact with some people there because I had a good relationship with everybody – it was like my second family.”

    Under Ferguson, Ronaldo won three Premier League titles and one Champions League before departing for Real Madrid for a then world-record fee.

    United flopped spectacularly under Ferguson’s successor David Moyes, who led the team to seventh – their worst-ever finish in the Premier League era.

    But Ronaldo thinks United are now destined for success under their new manager Louis van Gaal.

    “I think Van Gaal is going to do a fantastic job,” Ronaldo said in the interview, which was broadcast on the eve of United’s friendly against Real Madrid in Ann Arbor, near Detroit.

  • Ronaldo fires warning to Germany

    Underestimate Brazil at your own peril, those are words from iconic striker Ronaldo ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final showdown with Germany.

    Brazil will face Germany in Belo Horizonte for a place in the FIFA World Cup decider, though the host nation will be without star striker Neymar.

    Neymar – scorer of four goals at Brazil 2014 – was cruelly ruled out of the tournament after fracturing his vertebra in the closing stages of the side’s 2-1 quarter-final triumph over South American rivals Colombia on Saturday.

    Luiz Felipe Scolari will also be without captain and defender Thiago Silva, who is suspended for the last-four tie.

    But despite the loss of arguably the two best players in Brazil’s squad, Ronaldo said he believes the Germans – contesting their fourth consecutive semi – will have their work cut out against the five-time world champions.

    “If the Germans think they will find a weak, impaired, hopeless side on the pitch, because it lost one player, and even if this player is called Neymar, they will make a great mistake underestimating the quality of the Brazilian team,” said Ronaldo – winner of two World Cups in 1994 and 2002.

    “Brazil has never and will never be defined by one player. We have great examples in the past, with players in the same level as Neymar.

    “Like Pele, who got injured at the 1962 World Cup and was replaced. Despite that, Brazil won the World Cup. We expect that whoever takes to the pitch will do their best.

  • Oduamadi: Ronaldo’s exploit’ll inspire me

    Oduamadi: Ronaldo’s exploit’ll inspire me

    Brescia of Italy winger Nnamdi Oduamadi has said that the exploit of Brazilian legend Ronaldo De Lima in the past FIFA World Cups will inspire him when the 2014 edition gets underway.
    He told NationSport from his base that the achievement of Ronaldo in his football career especially at the World Cups he featured in should be enough inspiration for any player, adding that he intends to harp on this to make his dreams for Nigeria at the World Cup next year come true.
    “When I started dreaming to become a football player, I looked up to Ronaldo De Lima. He was a player I pattern my game after and I learnt a lot of things from his style of play. I like him as a person; and I like him as a player. My dream of playing at the World Cup came from Ronaldo because I saw what he did in 2006 World Cup and I wish to be there to fulfil my childhood dreams.”
    Oduamadi will be part of Nigeria squad to play against Ethiopia at the weekend and has promised to give everything to ensure victory for Nigeria.
    “In Addis Ababa, I missed a great chance, I felt bad because I always want to score for Nigeria but I was happy that at the end we won the game. I am already looking forward to the return leg to correct my mistakes. I promise to give everything because we can’t afford to let the ticket slip at this time.