Real Madrid News

It has long been suggested that the Argentine star could have ended up at the Santiago Bernabeu prior to signing for Barcelona as a teenager

Lionel Messi’s father has rubbished suggestions his son could have joined Real Madrid as a youngster.

The forward has become a Barcelona icon since signing for the club as a 13-year-old, though it has long been suggested that he may have made the switch to los Blancos, had the Blaugrana not swiftly secured his signature.

But in an interview with Kicker, Messi’s father, Jorge, has rubbished that tale and says his son only ever wanted to play at Camp Nou – even if his first contract was signed on a paper napkin.

He said: “It is the most famous napkin I ever saw. Barca demanded to be told what was happening because I was uncertain with my work. Leo had only a certain license in school and could not miss anything, and we knew nothing more than Barca.

“We had to fix a lot of things so they demanded to be told something, otherwise everything was cut.”

The 25-year-old has since gone on to lift the Ballon d’Or four times and Jorge admits he cannot bring himself to envisage the day that Messi hangs up his boots.

“The day Leo stops playing, I will think of it as an illusion and I will not come back to football. I love football more than anything. I don’t want to think about the day that Leo will stop playing.”

Abel Rodriguez, a cleaner from Los Angeles and a lifelong Madrid fan, accompanied the squad to Old Trafford and met a whole host of heroes – all at the Portuguese coach’s expense

Jose Mourinho may have his sights set on the Decima dream with Real Madrid, but he has already fulfilled the wildest ambitions of one lifelong fan of the club.

Abel Rodriguez, a cleaner from Los Angeles who frequently scheduled summer holidays in order to assist at los Blancos‘ training camps, was named as a kitman for the team’s visit to Old Trafford in the Champions League at the beginning of last month – and all at Mourinho’s expense.

Rodriguez had travelled to the training ground in the capital in a bid to see the Clasico on March 2, despite not having a ticket for the game, and was promptly turned away by security despite hopes that the club’s staff might recognise him from his summer work for the Liga holders.

Upon leaving the Valdebebas training base, Mourinho spotted the fan sitting by the roadside and, after hearing his story, promptly arranged a hotel and tickets for Rodriguez before inviting him to training the following day.

And as if that was not enough, Mourinho then informed the Mexican that he would accompany the squad for their last 16 second-leg clash with Manchester United as a kitman, where he met the likes of Diego Maradona, Sir Alex Ferguson and several Red Devils’ players, before being handed a signed shirt by compatriot Chicharito after the match.

According to his story in Sports Illustrated, an emotional Rodriguez offered to pay his way for the trip, but was promptly turned down by Mourinho, who said: “When you’re in Europe with me, you don’t pay for s**t.”

Rodriguez opted to release his story with the publication as a way of thanking the Portuguese coach, since he did not have any contact details to do so in person after the events in March.

Whether or not Madrid are able to seal an historic 10th European crown this season remains to be seen, but Jose has at least earned the admiration of a whole host of supporters for his generosity – and Extra Time thinks that’s just as important.

JD remains confident that Bayern Munich can win the Champions League and he explains why it’s important to keep your focus even during good runs of form

It is an exciting part of the season and we have reached the last four in the Champions League  Barcelona (7/4), Real Madrid (5/2), Bayern Munich (11/4) and Borussia Dortmund (13/2) will fight it out to be crowned European Champions.  

My advice at the start of the season was to back  Bayern Munich outright at 16/1 (17.0) and I remain confident that they will taste glory in May at Wembley.    

It is probably fair to say that the four best teams in Europe have made it through and we are in for some tremendous matches in the semi-final stage.

We are enjoying an excellent  run of form in the advised selections to members of www.jdfootballbetting.com. Good and bad runs of form are part and parcel of betting and even in the good stages, it is important to be measured and careful in your strategy.  

Over betting and over confidence can be a problem for some punters. It is natural if you are on a particularly good run, that your confidence is heightened and that can lead to betting too much, believing that you will keep winning. Adhere to your strategy and do not increase your frequency of betting just because you are doing so well.  

By the laws of probability, the more you bet, the closer you come to a loser. Less is more and some of the most successful punters I know believe in quality over quantity.

Looking ahead to the weekend, in the Championship, Watford have been very effective on their travels this season and can gain victory at Peterborough. 

The 7/5 (2.40) on offer by Bet365 is generous and there is a significant difference in quality between these two teams.

Javier Aguirre has transformed the fortunes of Espanyol this season and they have only tasted defeat three times in 17 matches.

They host Valencia this weekend and can be backed at 6/5 (2.20) on a draw no bet basis with Bet365 which offers both a decent price to make some profit and also the safety net that if it ends as a draw then you get your stake back.

Selection One

Selection Two

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The 37-year-old believes the Madrid boss has already made up his mind and is set to return to the country where he enjoyed success with Chelsea

Former Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado believes Jose Mourinho has already made a decision about his future and is on his way back to England.

The Portuguese coach stated earlier this week he will sit down with Madrid president Florentino Perez at the end of the 2012-13 campaign to discuss his future at the club, but Salgado has little doubt that Mourinho will soon return to the Premier League.

“It would be no surprise if he returns to the Premier League. I think he has made a decision and it will have nothing to do with whether he wins the Champions League this season or not,” Salgado was quoted as saying by Sport 360.

“I can see Mourinho returning to England because he loves England, he loves the atmosphere of English football, and the respect English football has for him.”

Mourinho previously worked in England at Chelsea from 2004 until 2007.

The 17-year-old has impressed for the club’s youth teams this season but feels he needs to add more goals to his game, citing the Portuguese star as an example to follow

Liverpool youngster Jordan Ibe says he has been watching videos of Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo in a bid to improve his goalscoring.

The 17-year-old winger moved to Anfield from Wycombe in December 2012 and has since gone on to earn his first senior call-up, making the bench for the club’s recent away trip to Southampton in March.

And, under the guidance of reserve team boss Alex Inglethorpe, the raw midfielder has confessed that he has been studying the Portuguese star’s natural game in an attempt to adjust his own accordingly in the hope of picking up a few new moves.

“Going forward, Alex Inglethorpe has helped me by showing me clips of Cristiano Ronaldo,” Ibe told the club’s official website.

“20 of Ronaldo’s goals last season were one-touch finishes at the back post. He’s been helping me to get within the frame of the goal and in the six-yard box.

“I haven’t scored a lot of goals this season, I have plenty of assists, but with what Alex is showing me I hope I can score a few more goals towards the end of the season.”