PSG could buy Cristiano Ronaldo, says Pauleta

The former Ligue 1 star believes les Parisiens have what it takes to sign the Madrid attacker at some point in the future

Former Paris Saint-Germain striker Pauleta has little doubt the Ligue 1 leaders are capable of luring Cristiano Ronaldo away from Real Madrid.

The Portugal international, 28, was heavily linked with a move to PSG earlier this season after his declarations that he was unhappy at the Santiago Bernabeu side, but les Parisiens’ sporting director Leonardo denied this week that the Paris giants have made an approach for Ronaldo.

However, Pauleta thinks there is a realistic possibility they will table an offer for the attacker at some point in the future.

“I think Cristiano Ronaldo joining PSG is possible,” Pauleta told beIN Sport.

“The people in charge at PSG are very competent. They are able to buy a player if they think it’s necessary. Cristiano Ronaldo is a spectacular player and I hope that Paris can recruit more players like him and [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic in the future.

“I would love to see another Portuguese player at PSG. It would be huge for the Portuguese community in Paris.”

Ronaldo has a contract with Madrid until the summer of 2015.

Who is Real Madrid's Player of the Season?

Goal.com nominates the top three stand-out performers for the capital club in 2012-13. Vote for your winner in our exclusive poll

Real Madrid started the season slowly and quickly fell off the pace behind Barcelona in the race for La Liga, but Jose Mourinho’s men edged out the Catalans in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey to set up a showpiece meeting with city rivals Atletico next month and are also in the last four of the Champions League.

Despite the disappointment of failing to retain the Liga title they claimed last season, Madrid’s campaign seems to be coming together just at the right time and, crucially, many of the squad are now on form.

Luka Modric is looking good after a period of adaptation following his summer move from Tottenham, Sami Khedira is much improved this term, Diego Lopez has been a revelation in goal since stepping in to replace the injured Iker Casillas in late January and Gonzalo Higuain is back on form up front. Mesut Ozil and Fabio Coentrao have also done well, while Sergio Ramos has led by example with some polished performances at the back.

But there are three players who have excelled even more than any of those for the capital club in 2012-13. So here they are: Goal.com‘s three nominees for Real Madrid’s player of the season, based on their club performances in all competitions. Cast your vote in the poll at the bottom of the article.

Competition Games
Goals Assists Booked
Sent off
League 24 0 4 10 0
Copa del Rey 6 0 2 2 0
Europe 8 0 1 3 0
Others 2 0 0 2 0
Total 40 0 7 17 0

Xabi Alonso’s importance to Real Madrid was highlighted last week as Mourinho’s men lost 3-2 to Galatasaray in Turkey. The Basque midfielder, 31, missed that game after making sure he picked up a yellow card in the first leg and thereby ensuring he would be available for the semi-final following a one-match ban.

However, without him on the pitch, Madrid came close to capitulating; 3-1 down with 18 minutes left, Real were on the ropes until Cristiano Ronaldo’s second sealed a place in the last four.

While Madrid are definitely dependent on Ronaldo, they also seem to struggle when Alonso is missing. The former Liverpool midfielder excels as a deep-lying playmaker and operates almost as a quarterback for the capital club, spraying passes all around the pitch for his talented team-mates, yet he also provides steel with intelligent interceptions and tough tackling. Both of those aspects were sorely missed in Turkey.

There is perhaps not another midfielder in the world quite like Alonso and while Ronaldo is obviously the first name on the Madrid teamsheet these days, the ultra-consistent Xabi is probably the second. Without him, Madrid are just not themselves.

CRISTIANO RONALDO | FORWARD

Competition Games
Goals Assists Booked
Sent off
League 30 31 8 6 0
Copa del Rey 6 6 2 2 0
Europe 10 11 1 1 0
Others 2 2 0 0 0
Total 48 50 11 9 0

Cristiano Ronaldo, 28, reached 50 goals in a single season for the third campaign in a row with his double at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday night.

The Portuguese has had his problems at Madrid this term, with his well-publicised ‘sadness’ earlier on in the campaign, yet he has been at his brilliant best since Christmas and taken his goalscoring ratio to over one per game since then, hitting 11 in just 10 Champions League matches, as well as six in six as Real have progressed to the final of the Copa del Rey. With strikers Karim Benzema and Higuain blowing hot and cold in 2012-13, Ronaldo’s goals have been crucial to Madrid’s success in the second half of the season.

How many trophies Real will win this term remains unclear, but Ronaldo’s two strikes in the Spanish Supercopa series against Barca helped the capital club to that title and he remains the man most feared by rival defences across the continent as Madrid seek to seal a 10th European Cup crown, La Decima, next month.

RAPHAEL VARANE | DEFENDER

Competition Games
Goals Assists Booked
Sent off
League 11 0 0 0
0
Copa del Rey 7 2 0 1 0
Europe 9 0 0 0 0
Others 0 0 0 0 0
Total 27 2 0 1 0

In only his second season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Raphael Varane has gone from talented teenager to a man entrusted to start against Barcelona, Manchester United and the very best of the rest in Europe.

Varane began as fifth-choice centre-back at Madrid after signing from Lens in 2011 (behind Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Raul Albiol and Ricardo Carvalho), but is now arguably the best defender at the club following some stunning showings in 2012-13, including two peerless performances in the Copa del Rey Clasico semi-final (with a goal in each game) and several impressive displays in the Champions League.

The Frenchman, still only 19, has made just 11 appearances in La Liga, but is being kept fresh for the most important cup games as Madrid seek Champions League and Copa del Rey success. The youngster is being widely tipped for greatness, yet such has been his brilliance so far this term it is already hard to see how he can improve in the next few years.

Vote Varane, Ronaldo or Alonso in the poll below this article in order to decide Goal.com‘s Real Madrid Player of the Season for 2012-13.

Madrid usurp Manchester United as richest club in the world

Barcelona have risen 99 per cent in value over the last 12 months while the Red Devils see their top position crumble as the Blancos take over in Forbes’ top 20 rankings

Real Madrid have usurped Manchester United as the richest football club on the planet for the first time since Forbes magazine began their rankings in 2004.

The Red Devils have sat at the top of the list for nine years in a row but Jose Mourinho’s men are now worth $135 million more (€103m) at $3.3 billion (€2.429bn), while Sir Alex Ferguson’s side sit second in the business magazine’s most valuable club list.

Barcelona are perched comfortably in third – $565m (€434m) behind United but $1.274m (€978m) ahead of fourth-placed Arsenal – and rose 99 per cent in value over 12 months.

Bayern Munich fill out the top five having made the Champions League final last season as well as finishing second in the Bundesliga. Their value is sure to rise further in next year’s rankings with the added interest of Pep Guardiola as coach, not to mention their triumph in this season’s Bundesliga and a potential treble of trophies.

AC Milan are the top-placed Serie A side in sixth and the highest-placed club to be valued below the €1bn mark this year. However, they are also the only club in the top 10 which have gone down in value over the last 12 months.

Chelsea’s Champions League-winning season saw maintain their place in the list and boost their value by 18%, not so contrasting to the team below them, Juventus, who saw their value rise by 17% after returning to Scudetto-lifting ways in 2012.

Manchester City rose from 13th to 9th in Forbes’ list after winning the Premier League last season and qualifying for the Champions League for the second successive campaign.

An English team not faring as well are Liverpool, who were fourth in April 2008 but find themselves 10th five years later as they continue to suffer from not competing with the European elite.

Outside of the top 10 sit Europa League quarter-finalists Tottenham in 11th, Bundesliga side Schalke in 12th, Champions League semi-finalists Borussia Dortmund in 13th, Italian giants Inter in 14th and Olympique Lyonnais in 15th.

The final five in the list are South America’s sole entrants Corinthians in 16th, Walter Mazzarri’s Napoli in 17th, German side Hamburg in 18th, Olympique de Marseille (who dropped 18% in value, the biggest drop in the top 20) in 19th and Newcastle United perched 20th.

Interestingly, despite being considered one of the richest clubs in the world, Paris Saint-Germain fail to make the top 20, while La Liga’s top-three duo are the only Spanish sides to make the list.

'They wouldn't question Shilton in England' – Del Bosque defends Casillas

The Spain boss has hit out at the Real Madrid goalkeeper’s critics but refused to be drawn on whether the Roja captain or Diego Lopez should start for the club

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has slammed critics of Real Madrid skipper Iker Casillas, suggesting that such criticism of a goalkeeping “legend” would not occur to the likes of Peter Shilton in England.

The Blancos shot-stopper suffered a hand injury in January which kept him sidelined until late March but he has been prevented from making a first-team comeback due to Diego Lopez’s form in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey since his arrival from Sevilla.

Although Del Bosque refused to be drawn on the debate over who should be handed the No.1 spot for Jose Mourinho’s side, he does believe the World Cup-winning captain deserves more respect from his detractors.

“We know he is a legend in Spanish football, nobody has done what he has, but suddenly he is in an uncomfortable situation,” Del Bosque was quoted as saying by Marca.

“[Whether he plays] is a decision for the coaches and the club. I won’t say a word on the matter, you won’t even get a smile from me on it. It’s not a trivial matter because you have to respect the club and his coach and I don’t want to cause problems with anybody.

“I don’t think they would have questioned [Peter] Shilton in England in the same situation or other players who have been legends in their national teams”.

Casillas’ lack of game-time in 2013 raises questions as to whether he will feature in the Confederations Cup for Spain in the summer, but Del Bosque hinted that he would be picked regardless of whether he returns to the Madrid first team.

“The important thing is he is back from injury, that he is training and we have enough time ahead of us to make decisions [before the Confederations Cup],” the Roja coach continued.

“What I must say is he is our player, he is one of the best to have played for us in over 140 matches and we’re very fond of him so the most logical thing is to have him with us.”

Real Madrid, Juventus, Inter and LA Galaxy to take part in Guinness International Champions Cup

A total of seven European sides will join the MLS giants for a new eight-team pre-season tournament based in the USA this summer

EXCLUSIVE
By Zac Lee Rigg

Real Madrid, Juventus and Inter will join LA Galaxy in the inaugural Guiness International Champions Cup this summer.

The pre-season tournament, which runs from July 27 to August 4, will feature seven European sides as well as the MLS giants, and will take place in the USA.

Jose Mourinho’s side have been confirmed as participants, along with the Serie A duo and Galaxy, with the other sides and principal venues to be announced in the next two weeks.

The eight teams will play the first round of matches in Indianapolis, San Francisco, Phoenix and a to-be-determined European venue. The second round will take place in Los Angeles and New York.

“When we were putting this together, we wanted to make it a real tournament,” Relevent Sports CEO Charlie Stillitano told Goal.com. “We wanted to give it the feel of the Champions League, if you will.

“Everyone in this tournament has a rich history. Every time you hear the LA Galaxy’s name, you hear it as sort of – for lack of a better word – the team that has the most glamour in MLS. We thought it’d be good to give them an opportunity to show their stuff, and at a real competitive level.

“It gives MLS a chance to shine, in my mind.”

All eight teams will convene in Miami’s Sun Life Stadium on August 6 and 7 for a pair of double-headers. These include the seventh-place, fifth-place and third-place playoff games, as well as the final. Each team will play three games overall.

“When [Stillitano] mentioned this new format of the tournament with the two conferences, eight teams, four finals, immediately my coach and my chairman appreciated this idea,” Inter managing director Marco Fassone told Goal.com. “‘Yes, of course we will come,’ and we are here.”

Inter plan to begin their pre-season six to seven weeks before the Serie A season begins. After a retreat into the mountains, the club will play several “easy” friendlies and one “difficult” one before flying stateside for the tournament.

“They will be tough games, important games,” Fassone explained. “When we are back in Europe, I think that we will be ready to play eventual preliminary matches in either the Champions League or Europa League.”

LA Galaxy will be the only team in the middle of its season, and club president Chris Klein said that the new tournament will “most likely” be the only mid-season friendlies in which they will take part.

“We have a crowded schedule,” Klein told Goal.com.

Fox have signed a long-term deal to broadcast the event, while Guiness have been named as the main sponsor for the tournament.

“Guinness & Co. is a well-known supporter and champion for sports around the world and we are very excited to be involved with such a groundbreaking international soccer event here in the United States,” said Doug Campbell, Guiness Brand Director.