Real Madrid News

The Spaniard believes a Wembley meeting with Real Madrid would be a momentous occasion and says Tito Vilanova and Eric Abidal have inspired the squad

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas is desperate to reach the Champions League final this season – and to face bitter rivals Real Madrid at Wembley.

The Liga giants take on Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in the last four of the competition and, while he acknowledges the formidable task of defeating the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions, the former Arsenal captain is keen for a Clasico showdown in May.

“I want a Real Madrid-Barcelona final. It would be a very important game in the history of football,” he told radio station RAC1.

“However, first we must think of the semi-final against Bayern. This will be extremely tough, a huge game.”

Fabregas went on to describe the impact of the returns of Tito Vilanova and Eric Abidal to the Barca camp, revealing how the duo’s respective battles against cancer have been inspirations to the squad.

“Tito and Abidal have given us a lot of inner strength to continue to fight until the final,” he added.

The shot-stopper is reportedly unhappy with life at his current club, but his Spain colleague believes a move to the Camp Nou side is very unlikely

Xavi says Iker Casillas will not leave Real Madrid for Barcelona in the summer in order to replace Victor Valdes as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper.

Valdes has said he does not want to extend his current contract until 2014 and could therefore be on his way out of Barca. Casillas, 31, on the other hand has lost his starting berth at Madrid and has been linked with a move away from the Blancos, too.

Nevertheless, Xavi believes it is unlikely Casillas will leave the Santiago Bernabeu side for their arch-rivals.

“I feel bad for Iker that he has ended up on the bench and I think it’s unfair. I do not think that he will come to Barcelona, though,” Xavi told El Mundo Deportivo.

“He’s a real Madridista. We cannot look beyond that. I would welcome him with open arms, but I cannot see it happen to be honest.”

The influential midfielder then went on to stress he does not expect Valdes to change his plans for the future, while praising the goalkeeper for his fine performances.

“I know Victor pretty well and I do not think that he will have second thoughts. He is an extraordinary person and I am sad that he will leave,” he added.

“He is not only a friend, but also a real leader. He has probably received the worst treatment in the media I have ever seen in my career. He has always overcome criticism. The harsher the criticism, the better his performances.”

The 31-year-old shot-stopper has made close to 500 official appearances for Barcelona since making his debut in 2002-03.

Manuel Alvarez hopes the Santiago Bernabeu side can still hold on to the Portuguese, while he feels Iker Casillas should be grateful to the Blancos coach

EXCLUSIVE
By Nacho Gonzalez

Canillas president Manuel Alvarez has urged Real Madrid chief Florentino Perez to do his utmost to hold on to Jose Mourinho beyond the current season and even force him to fulfil his contract until 2016 if necessary.

Alvarez, who is in charge of the club where Mourinho’s son plies his trade, claimed on Wednesday the Portuguese coach told him he will no longer be with Madrid next season.

However, the Canillas supremo has insisted Madrid should attempt to hold on to their coach as they cannot afford to let him go without a fight.

“The thing Florentino should do is force Mourinho to fulfil his contract with the club. He did a good job to put Madrid’s fate in Mourinho’s hands,” Alvarez told Goal.com.

“It would be a huge blow for Spanish football if he indeed leaves and I hope Florentino can sort this out.”

The Canillas boss also had his say on the alleged problems between Iker Casillas and Mourinho and believes the goalkeeper will eventually be grateful to the flamboyant trainer.

“Iker will be grateful for everything Mourinho’s done. In order to be the captain, and first-choice goalkeeper, you will have to prove yourself each and every day,” he added.

“His current situation should motivate him and he should be thankful to Mourinho.”

Alvarez then went on to discuss Fifa’s Coach of the Year election and stressed the Portuguese trainer cannot be compared to a national team coach such as Vicente del Bosque.

“The Ballon d’Or situation was not normal. You cannot compare a coach who works with his players 365 days a year with someone who only works a few days,” he continued. “There should be a separate award for national team coaches.”

Mourinho has been in charge of Real Madrid ever since joining them from Inter in the summer of 2010. He has since guided them to Copa del Rey and La Liga glory, while making it to the semi-finals of the Champions League this term, where they will meet Borussia Dortmund.

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.

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.