Real Madrid News

Barcelona director of football Andoni Zubizarreta has insisted that he has not started thinking about Sunday’s match with Real Madrid due to the Champions League trip to Benfica on Tuesday.

The Blaugrana have started the season in impressive form, triumphing in all six of their Liga games and getting off to a winning start in the Champions League against Spartak Moscow two weeks ago.

They have the opportunity to open up an 11-point gap between themselves and Jose Mourinho’s men in the weekend’s Clasico, but the legendary goalkeeper’s thoughts are elsewhere.

“Winning streaks are built game by game,” he explained to reporters as the squad boarded the aeroplane to the Portuguese capital.

“The results have been very good up until now, but on Tuesday we are starting from scratch once again. Previous results are a good reference, but we are always starting from zero.

“In a short tournament like the Champions League, especially in the group stage, good results early on can avoid suffering nearer to the end.

“Right now, we have to focus on the Champions League. Then on Wednesday, we can think about the league again. Anyhow, it’s still only October and there are a lot of points to play for.

“This team has an enormous will to win. They end up winning because they want to.”

Barcelona and Benfica kick off at 20:45CET on Tuesday.

A vast majority of Goal.com readers feels that Real Madrid midfielder Kaka fully deserves his recall to Brazil’s national side after a two-year absence.

The midfielder is in line to make his first appearance since the World Cup quarter-final loss to Netherlands in 2010 after he was named in Mano Menezes’ squad for the upcoming friendlies against Iraq and Japan on October 11 and 16 respectively, and our readers thoroughly agree with the Selecao boss’ decision.

An impressive 83 per cent believes that the Madrid man deserved to get an invitation for the games as Brazil look to find their ideal starting XI ahead of hosting World Cup 2014.

Meanwhile, only 1,431 people out of the 8,358 people who voted are of the opinion that the 30-year-old has not done enough to warrant a recall.

Two weeks after matchday 1 of the Champions League, club football’s premier competition returns on Tuesday and Wednesday as Europe’s finest take the next step on their way to the final at Wembley on May 25, 2013, and Goal.com will bring you all the coverage you need.

On Tuesday, Italian champions Juventus lock horns with Shakhtar Donetsk as they aim to build on their encouraging away draw against Chelsea, while the titleholders meet minnows Nordsjaelland. Furthermore, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Valencia are all in action, too.

Our LIVE! blog will be running from Tuesday 16:00BST until midnight, and is set to take you through all the build-up, team news and the games themselves.

Additionally, our European football experts will be online all day to answer your questions about the games, giving you the chance to ask everything you want to know via either our Twitter account or our Facebook page.

And 24 hours later, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain are among the teams who will take to the pitch. 

Our LIVE! blog will once more be running from 16:00BST until midnight, while our national experts will be on hand again as well to answer your questions.

Goal.com is the only place you need for full coverage of matchday 2 of the Champions League, follow it all LIVE! on Tuesday and Wednesday, and look out for all our news and features before and after the games.

Lionel Messi has insisted that he cares about winning trophies with Barcelona more than about individual glory.

The Argentine attacker is widely seen as one of the best players in the history of the game, but the 25-year-old is more concerned about how he will be remembered as a person than as a footballer.

“I prefer winning titles with Barcelona over setting new records or winning individual trophies,” Messi told El Pais.

“I am more concerned with being a good person than with being the best player in the world. When I retire, I want to be remembered as a good guy. Scoring goals is nice, but I also want to have made friends among the people I’ve played with.

“Individual awards are nice and I’m thankful for winning them. But I wouldn’t have won anything without the help of my colleagues. I am fortunate to be playing for this club with all these great players. I’m just trying to help the team.”

Messi also briefly had his say on Jose Mourinho, and stated that it’s hard for him to judge the Real Madrid coach as he does not really know him.

“I can’t say much about Mourinho. I don’t really know him and have never spoken with him. I can only talk about what he has achieved, and that’s winning a lot of titles. I know that his players speak well of him, but I don’t know him.

“I always say what I think, but I do not feel the need to get myself into trouble. I’m not interested in creating conflicts or problems.

“I see no point in speaking badly of someone who I don’t really know. I prefer to be respectful toward other people.”

The prolific attacker then went on to discuss his ambitions with the national side, and stressed that he dreams of winning the World Cup with Argentina.

“I think we’re on the right track with Argentina. [Alejandro] Sabella has got things very clear. He knows what he wants and how to transmit it to the team.

“Winning the 2014 World Cup is a dream. I would really love to make that happen. It would mean a lot for Argentina and for myself.”

Argentina last won the World Cup in 1986.

COMMENT
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Editor

Three – and quite easy. Cristiano Ronaldo began the fightback as Real Madrid surprisingly fell behind at home to Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday, heading home a second after Angel Di Maria had made it 2-1 and rounding off the scoring late on with another spot kick to ensure a storming success for Jose Mourinho’s men.

A week before the Clasico, Madrid look ready – and so does Ronaldo.

Mourinho’s men may be eight points adrift of their eternal enemies in the race for La Liga, but they approach next weekend’s Clasico clash very much on the ascendancy. And their Portuguese forward was in buoyant mood, saying: “We have won at Camp Nou before.”

Indeed, last season’s 2-1 win in April all but ensured that the title would be heading back to the Bernabeu and not remaining in Catalunya for a fourth straight season. And Madrid also got the better of Barca over two legs in the Spanish Supercopa at the start of the current campaign.

Perhaps even more importantly for Madrid, they appear to have confined their recent problems to the past: Sergio Ramos started again after he was left out against Manchester City (albeit at right-back), Kaka returned from his period in the wilderness to play the second half, and a recently riled Ronaldo ruled the roost with three goals in an ultimately impressive victory.

Things did not start as planned for Madrid as Riki waltzed past Raphael Varane as if he wasn’t there to slot home the opener. But Ronaldo converted from the spot after Manuel Pablo upended Di Maria and the Argentine added the second himself following a wonderful pass by Luka Modric – included in the Xabi Alonso role instead of the benched Basque.

Alonso was of course being rested ahead of the Champions League clash against Ajax and the Clasico next weekend, but emerged from the sidelines to set up Pepe for 4-1, after Ronaldo rose to head home the third. And the former Manchester United forward completed the rout late on with another penalty after Evaldo had handled.

Camp Nou will represent an altogether different test, particularly given Barca’s unflappable form so far in La Liga, but on this evidence Real look ready. And perhaps just as importantly for Mourinho’s men, so too does Ronaldo.
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