Real Madrid News

Real Madrid defender Pepe believes Portuguese players are under a lot of pressure in La Liga.

After being named the winner of the 2012 Artur Agostinho award for Person of the Year in Portugal, the 29-year-old claimed he and his compatriots come under increased scrutiny playing in Spain.

“There is a lot of pressure on the Portuguese in La Liga,” he told Record, before highlighting a clash with Getafe’s Javier Casquero in the 2008/09 season which made him consider quitting the sport altogether.

“After Casquero, I was forever marked throughout the world

,” he continued.

“They still call me assassin today.

I was tempted to quit football.”

Pepe also said he wanted to secure an “historic” 10th Champions League title with Los Blancos this season in order to make up for their poor league campaign.

“We must be realistic, we are in a very complicated situation in the league. To earn la Decima would be historic,” he said.

With Real Madrid inconsistent on the pitch, speculation has mounted over the future of coach Jose Mourinho and attacker Cristiano Ronaldo, with the duo linked with big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.

But Pepe stressed that the future of his compatriots was entirely in their own hands, adding that he would not consider following them out of Santiago Bernabeu just yet, but that a return to his homeland was tempting.

“If Cristiano or the boss make the decision to leave, it will be their choice,” he continued. “I will not choose the same option just because they leave. I will make my decision at the right time.

“Porto is a club I would like to return to. It was a club where I learned a lot as a player.”

The 29-year-old added that he would love to see Ronaldo claim the Ballon d’Or early next month for his achievements in the game over the past year, but conceded it was unlikely he would pick up the prize.

“I would love Cristiano to win the Ballon d’Or, for being my friend, for doing so much for football, having been in the top three five times in the last six years, and for winning the league. But it seems he is not going to be the winner,” he said.

Pepe also revealed his pride to have claimed the accolade for Record‘s Person of the Year in Portugal, adding: “2012 was a very special year for me.

“I am delighted

to have received this award and I am grateful for the support of the people who believe in me.

“It’s an award of great importance and I thank my team-mates because, without them, I would not have succeeded.

“I receive it with joy and enthusiasm.”

Silvino Louro has poured scorn on suggestions that Jose Mourinho could depart Real Madrid in the near future by highlighting the fact the 49-year-old’s contract is not due to expire until 2016.

The Portuguese’s reign is under increasing scrutiny, having led the Blancos to their fourth Liga defeat of the season following the 3-2 reverse to Malaga on Saturday.

Madrid lie 16 points behind league leaders Barcelona midway through the campaign, but the goalkeeping coach insists Mourinho is staying put in the Spanish capital for the foreseeable future, and believes the winter break can help their pursuit of silverware.

“Mourinho is not going anywhere. He has a contract until 2016,” Louro told Record.

“The league cannot tell us anything yet but we have to recharge our batteries for the rest of the Liga campaign, and, especially in the Copa del Rey and Champions League, we must try to win something this season.”

Real Madrid resume training on December 30 as they look to challenge on all fronts for the remainder of the season.

Johan Cruyff has slammed the current set-up at Real Madrid by attacking the club’s “personality” and the way the side teach their young players to behave.

The former Barcelona coach believes Los Blancos should look to the Blaugrana when it comes to the example to set to young players, and suggested that Jose Mourinho’s team are not as level-headed as those of the Liga leaders.

“What really annoys me about Madrid today is the personality the club has adopted, the way they teach their young players to be,” he told AS.

“Look at how Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta or [Lionel] Messi behave and you’ll know what I mean. They’re normal, down-to-earth guys.”

Cruyff went on to highlight the reasons behind Barcelona’s impressive recent form, citing the pressure they apply after losing possession as the key to their style on the pitch.

“To know how Barcelona play, look at the team when it doesn’t have the ball,” Cruyff said. “They pressure their opponent right up to the goalkeeper to get the ball back as quickly as possible. The most difficult thing in football is to do the easy things and do them well. That’s the difference between Barca and all the rest.”

Cruyff credits much of this style to former boss Pep Guardiola, and believes that the former midfielder would be able to implement the same system at whichever club he chooses to coach next, provided they allow him the time to do so.

When asked about the future of Guardiola in the game, he said: “He’s too young to stop. He’ll be back, but to do something different. Who knows what. Maybe he’ll manage a national team – that has its pros and cons.

“To adopt Pep’s style of play, you have to train a lot. If he goes to a club, he’ll have to impose his vision and his system on the team. It’ll have to be a club where he can do his job without interference and where his style will be appreciated by the supporters.

“If he wants to be at a new club for four or five years, he’ll need a president who gives him carte blanche to implement his vision.”

The former Ajax star also said he believes Sapin’s national manager Vicente Del Bosque should be awarded the Coach of the Year prize at the Ballon d’Or ceremony early next month.

“For me it has to be Vicente del Bosque for what he’s achieved and the way he has conducted himself,” Cruyff added.

Retired Sevilla goalkeeper Rinat Dasayev has suggested that fatigue may have played a part in Iker Casillas’ recent omission from the Real Madrid team.

Jose Mourinho controversially dropped the Blancos captain for the 3-2 defeat by Malaga, citing the move to play Antonio Adan as a “purely technical decision” amidst widespread criticism from club officials and supporters.

Although the former USSR intermational admits the decision to leave out the Spain icon came as a shock, he feels the number of matches he has played over recent seasons could perhaps be taking its toll on the player.

The 55-year-old told AS: “Of course it was a surprise. Casillas is a very good goalkeeper.

“Maybe [he is] a bit tired after playing so many club and international games in the past few seasons. The Spanish league, the Champions League, the World Cup, the European Championships – that’s a lot of tournaments.”

Mourinho came under fire for the decision to start Adan ahead of Casillas in the defeat to Manuel Pellegrini’s men, although the skipper himself accepted the cut as a footballing decision.

Spartak Moscow legend Dasayev, a runner-up at the 1988 European championships, spent three seasons playing in La Liga with Sevilla shortly before his retirment in 1991.

Iker Casillas is the “pride of Real Madrid”, according to Spain boss and former Blancos coach Vicente del Bosque.

The 143-cap international was controversially left out of Jose Mourinho’s starting line-up for the trip to Malaga recently in favour of Antonio Adan.

The Spanish champions went on to lose 3-2 in Andalusia but the 61-year-old has backed his skipper to bounce back.

“Iker arrived at the age of 10,” he was quoted as saying by Marca.

“His parents deserve a lot of merit, having brought him to the training centre, and I don’t think the were made of money.

“Iker is the pride of Real Madrid. He is the only one to have come through the youth team, and it would be good to recognise what he was done as he’s done a lot.

“He carries the values of Real Madrid.”